


Not Where We Should Have Been

by AnneAce



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/F, Information Broker Yuri, Killing Addiction, M/M, Mafia AU, Mafia Boss Viktor, Russian Mafia, Sara spelled as Sala, Yakuza, bodyguard otabek, ice tiger of russia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-08-27 11:26:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneAce/pseuds/AnneAce
Summary: Yuri should not have to defend himself from his own security team. Really was competent security too much to ask? Apparently with the Canadian Mob trying to finish a job they started ten years ago it was. Returning home to Russia, Yuri gets ready to finish with his enemies, a job he was prepared to do alone. Despite the fact he could have Viktor's help and the power of the Bratva behind the silver-haired Pakhan, taking revenge for his own lost sanity might be less lonely than he originally thought. The mysterious Dark Horse enters into his life and is strangely determined to make sure that the firey Russian has a safe place to return to.





	1. Chapter 1

The Ice Tiger Of Russia laid against blood-soaked sheets. Death drifted through the air sickeningly sweet. He timed his breathing to the sound he made as he taped the top of his laptop. His sharp green eyes trailed over the dead bodies in his penthouse. It was an artistic mess. Despite his high from the slaughter, he was in no position to enjoy it. Someone had found out where he lived. It wasn't like this was one of his houses that was under his name. No, it was buried under company names and false identities. If this person had found this house... well.

He would have to assume that all his houses had been uncovered. Not only that but they had been able to track his finances. That was the only way. Damn. He opened up his computer ignoring the way the blood that had not dried yet, it smudged. There were many properties he had been thinking of buying lately that he could hide away at, but again the only way to find this place had been through his finances. They would simply find him again.

There were too many questions, too many possibilities for him to think about right now. He would need time to figure everything out. Which left him with one option.

He scheduled for his jet to be at the airport in two hours with a quick email. Sending the computer to run through a program he set it aside and growled at the fresh corpse lying next to him. The man had fallen onto it as he had killed him. Disgusted by it he shoved the dead man off the bed. Reaching into the nightstand he pulled out a small flip phone. Only one number was programmed into it, only one person had the number in return.

He hit call with a dissatisfied huff. It rang twice before he was greeted by the sounds of muttering Japanese. “Good evening Yuri,” the other man greeted in Russian sounding as if he had just woken up.

Yuri looked at the time. It was about three at night in Russia, but he didn't care about disturbing the other man's slumber. “Go to hell,” he spat, “where is Viktor. Why are you answering this phone!”

“Viktor ran out on business a couple of hours ago, he forgot his phone. What can I do for you Brother-In-Law?”

Yuri felt his vines fill with ice. Viktor and the heir to the Yakuza empire had eloped three months ago in one of the biggest scandals the Underground had ever heard of. Viktor had been engaged to the other heir Mari Katsuki who was now the Oyabun instead of her brother. Yuuri Katsuki technically was still the Wakagashira controlling his part of the empire from Russia, but everyone saw him as nothing more than a pretty ornament for the Pakhan. Which was stupid. Anyone with a brain could figure out that Katsuki Yuuri had Viktor wrapped around his finger. Despite his pretty blushing and fumbling Katsuki Yuuri had over fifty confirmed kills under his belt under the name of Japan’s Ace, traveled to Tiwwan when he was eight to train in the art of torture under the Chulanont family, went to college in America with the Chulanont heir where they studied business together. So what if Katsuki had also taken pole dancing lessons while he was there? Yuri understood the power tempting men had and he was not happy that someone he could view as an equal to his own skills had got his claws in his brother.

“Die,” Yuri answered followed by some pretty creative cursing if he did say so himself.

The other Yuuri laughed. “You did not call to cuss me out Kitten,” he purred.

If there had been someone around to kill Yuri would have. “Tell Viktor I am coming home to Russian,” he declared, “my jet will arrive in fourteen hours and I’ll need a security detail to come pick me up.”

The other man was silent for a moment. “What happened to your security?”

Yuri looked around the room again. “They are dead,” he answered coldly, “I was attacked in my house.”

Katsuki was no fool and he proved it when he asked. “And who killed your security detail?”

“I did,” Yuri snarled rage making him throw the lamp on the nightstand across the room, “they were apparently too stupid to live.”

Katsuki sighed. “Do you have an hour to wait?”

“Why?”

“There is a bodyguard in the area I would like to escort you. He is better than a team. I promise.”

Yuri glances at his clock. “How do you know where I am?”

“Viktor told me. Do you agree?”

“What bodyguard?”

Yuri bit his lip looking at the bodies again. Yuri knew he was not supposed to kill people if he could help it, hence the security team. “The Dark Horse.”

Yuri felt that name circle in his head and his hands were flying across his keyboard before he knew what he was doing. The Dark Horse? Everyone knew about the Dark Horse, but how much tended to differ. “He has no loyalty to Russia,” Yuri growled like he was supposed to, looking at his information page.

The Dark Horse, no pictures on public profile or descriptions only a bunch of assassins vying for his blood. Survived assassination attempts working for criminal organizations across the world for the last five years. Of course, Yuri knew more about The Dark Horse than the public did. Particularly he didn't care much about who had loyalties to Russia. But as the current heir to the Bratva, he had to act like he did.

“He has no loyalty to anyone else though,” Yuuri pointed out.

“Fine,” he snapped, “but if this is an attack Katsuki I will kill him and then you.”

The Japanese man chuckled. “I would expect a call from Viktor in a few hours,” he noted, “until then be safe Yuri.”

The phone went dead before Yuri could cuss him out again. Yuri tucked the phone away safety before he ran his fingers through his hair and was reminded of the drying blood.

He went and pulled a bag out of the closet and threw his laptop and back up knives inside, a few more guns, phones, and paperwork he needed before shoving it at the door. Then he stripped out his clothes and headed towards his shower.


	2. Chapter 2

Surviving in the bodyguard business meant you needed to be good at handling two things: surprises and large personalities. Otabek considered himself good at both. It didn’t matter what he felt in any situation only that his charge was safe.

Otabek was in a nightclub watching a DJ in Rio when he received a call from Katsuki Yuuri. Hemet meet the man twice in his time as a bodyguard. Once when Katsuki’s target had been in the same restaurant as his charge. That had been a heart attack itself when he had seen Japan’s Ace, one of the best assassins in the world, walk in. A fresh 3 piece suit, hair slicked back, and a giant dragon mask had dominated the restaurant. After shoving his charge under the table he had drawn his gun to watch Katsuki shoot a man in the face before putting his gun away to walk back out. He had caught Otabek’s eye and waved. “Dark Horse.”

Then he had strolled out. He had seen wisps of silver hair flowing out from the motorcyclist's helmet that had been Katsuki's getaway driver. Hence why he was one of four people in the world unsurprised by their sudden marriage.

The second time Otabek had met Katsuki had been when the man slipped into the booth across from him, in a dinner in Korea, wearing a red sweater, blue jeans, and big bulky glasses. He had looked like a nervous child.

“Is this seat taken?” He had asked.

Otabek shook his head no. “Oh, good,” Katsuki had laughed, “I wanted to apologize for scaring you a couple of months ago. I didn’t expect to meet you that way.”

Otabek didn’t say anything. The Japanese man shifted appearing nervous. “I really didn’t want to take you on that night,” he admitted smiling with a shrug, “I think we surprised each other.”

His friendly smile disappeared “I don’t like surprises. I have a slight business proposition for you.”

“I don’t work permanently for groups,” Otabek informed him.

Katsuki nodded. “I’m aware,” he agreed, “but I don’t want to go after anyone you are protecting.”

Otabek titled his head surprised. But he didn’t want to fight Japanese Ace’s either. “I’ll pay you to tell me who your charges are,” he continued, “I won’t go after any of them either. It’ll give us both a piece of mind.”

“And after they leave my charge,” Otabek asked.

“Do you really care,” Katsuki challenged.

No, he did not. It was a paycheck. It wasn’t like his job was to protect innocent people, he was a bodyguard for the big and bad and ugly and Otabek hated them all.

Katsuki smiled. “You don’t have very many morals Dark Horse,” he noted, “and this is far from making any deals with the Yakuza.”

“Just their Ace,” Otabek agreed.

Katsuki nodded and set down a phone. “If you agree the details are on this phone.”

Katsuki’s personal phone rang and a name in Russian popped up. He accepted the call, switching over to Russian. “Yes love I am almost done.”

“No. It’s gone fine. No guns or knives. Yes, Love, I will get milk on the way home.”

Katsuki stood and hung up. “Thank you for your time,” he said to Otabek.

Otabek nodded back. “My condolences to you and Viktor,” he answered.

Katsuki smiled again this one tight and threatening. “That is why I do not want to fight you,” he laughed, “if you tell that to anyone. I will kill you.”

Then he had disappeared. Since then Otabek had been in contact with Katsuki. Sometimes to confirm if a man had left his protection or in some cases a friendly chat. Katsuki had called Otabek from their honeymoon to let him know the happy news, he had called asking about suggestions for DJ’s or clubs on multiple occasions and even invited him out dancing when they were in the same country which Otabek did not go to.

Getting a call from him was unexpected, but not surprising. He went outside and answered the call. “Are you working?” Katsuki asked in his business tone.

“Between jobs,” Otabek answered lighting up a cigarette.

“I have a job,” Katsuki offered.

Otabek hummed. Katsuki was not the kind of man to need a bodyguard. “Who,” he asked.

“There’s a certain Fairy who is flying home tonight,” Katsuki answered.

The Russian Fairy? Or in the security business the Little Hellon. Otabek liked the nickname Ice Pixie much better. Fairies were pretty yes, but Pixies we’re that and deadly little bastards. That fit the Russian much better. Only those stupid or cocky joined a detail who watched over the Pixie. Because the Pixie was likely to end up killing you if things didn’t go his way.

“I’m not a fool,” Otabek huffed.

“You’re not,” Katsuki assured, “but you are getting complacent. You’re getting bored Dark Horse. Show your muscle to the world. Show them why you are the best in the business.”

Yes kept someone alive who will kill him if he messes up. “I’ll escort him to Russia,” he agreed, “and we’ll see from there.”

He could feel Katsuki smiling. “The details have been emailed to you.”

Otabek hung up and he knew that the bastard was testing him right now. Knew that for certain when he stepped into the penthouse and found the dead bodies. Blood was drying on the floor and organs were dripping out of some of the bodies. There was a bag against the door the Pixie was getting ready to fly away.

As he shut the door and stepped into the hall the bathroom door swung open. Pale white skin and golden hair greeted him. The Pixie blink once registering his presence, then a grin spread across his features and he stepped further into the hall completely naked.

The Hellon doesn’t have any shame standing naked in front of him water glistening down his body his hair up in a french braided bun. The hall is dark the only light coming from the bathroom so the blond’s green eyes shine bright like a cat’s. He inspected Otabek coldly, so Otabek does the same. It is a very nice change from the old men that he usually guards.

The Hellon is everything that Otabek is attracted to, pretty, deadly, and-

“Hello, Hero Of Kazakhstan,” he greeted, “you are far from home.”

-Fiercely intelligent. No one had been able to place his old identity since he became The Dark Horse, not even Katsuki. What was the Pakhan’s little brother?

Otabek did not let his surprise or interest show. “So are you Fairy,” he answered.

The blond’s eye twitched and he threw one of the picture frames that had been on a side table. The picture landed in front of Otabek’s feet, clearly not hitting him on purpose.

“Call me that again and I will cut your throat open,” he hissed.

It’s impressive the amount of dignity he had (especially since he was standing naked in front of a stranger), the coldness he possed, the way his eyes were sharp and clear and burning.

“What are you looking at asshole!”

“The eyes of a soldier.”

It’s funny that this is what makes the other man blush. “You can call me Yuri,” he announced the anger fading away immediantly, “what do you want me to call you?”

Otabek felt surprise ripple through him. None of his other charges had ever asked for a name for him before. He shrugged instead of saying anything. “If you don’t give me a name by the time I get dressed, I’m going to find the worst alias you’ve used that I can find and call you that.”

Then Yuri was gone. Otabek watched him go and then did a sweep of the building. He found a cat and a cat carrier in the living room. Ah, Yuri Plisetsky’s famous cat. The one his grandfather got him to prove he wasn’t a socio or psychopath. It was proven since the cat nor any little animals ever died around Yuri and his mental stability appeared to be at least somewhat sound. At least as mentally stable as one in the Russian Mafia could be.

The cat purred in his arms and Otabek glanced at the computers in the kitchen as he walked. So many cameras. All of them shut off. He shifted the cat and used his free hand to reboot the system. The cameras flashed back online all at once showing plenty of dead bodies. He leafed through the binders at the table and found the flight plans. A dinging sound caught his attention and he clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

Ten minutes later Otabek slid the cat into the cat carrier and had Yuri’s bag slung across his shoulder watching the younger man strut into the room. “Name,” he ordered.

“Otabek Altin.”

He held out his hand and Yuri’s cat eye sharpened in him. “Otabek,” he tasted the name on his tongue, “that’s better.”

They shook hands and Yuri smiled taking the cat carrier from his hands. Otabek lead Yuri out of the house and into the blue car he had rented. Yuri did one happy jump. “Color!” He exclaimed with a smile, “that’s awesome. The last guy was boring and hated color.”

Yuri paused and schooled his face suddenly remembering his role. Otabek wondered what made the younger man so excited about the color of a car. Especially when he had walked out of his room in a bright purple crop top and ripped skinny black jeans. Still, Yuri’s joy had amused him. His joy had been more beautiful than his body. Otabek might have started to fall for Yuri then, but that wasn't the thing one admitted to.

Otabek tore out of the driveway just to impress Yuri a little. A long plane ride was ahead of them and getting some of the nerves and adrenaline out would be good. He heard Yuri laugh softly. The airport was empty when they arrived except for the armed pilot and copilot who were waiting at the door.

Yuri moved to open the door, but Otabek glared at him. “Do not leave the car until I open the door,” he warned.

Yuri rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of pleasure in them. Otabek got out of the car and did a quick sweep of the area with his eyes. He looked between the two pilots and headed over. The co pilot didn’t have a gun, but he had many knives, but the pilot had a gun. “Who are you,” the Pilot demanded reaching for his gun.

“Security,” Otabek answered, “I am going to check the plane.”

They stare at him for a long time. Long enough that Yuri rolls down his window and screamed, “what the hell is taking so long!”

Otabek kept his face passive and stone cold while the men flinched the pilot inching for his gun and Otabek understood. When he opened Yuri’s door the blond snarled, “finally it took you long enough.”

He waltzed onto his plane stopping a quick moment to flick the co-pilot's nose and stepped inside. Otabek sighed. How many tests did the Russian Mafia want to put him through? He checked his gun to make sure it was loaded grabbed Yuri’s things before following the others inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Yuri watched Otabek through half closed eyes. The other man hadn’t said a word since he told him to stay in the car. Seeing him sit across from him was a rush. The Hero Of Kazakhstan, The Dark Horse, Otabek Altin. The supposed best security guard in the business sat across from him, escorting him home, but was Otabek as good as everyone claimed he was? Was he smart enough to put any ties together? Otabek’s black eyes burned light twilight and Yuri found himself holding his breath.

As the plane finished its ascent Otabek unbuckled his seat belt so Yuri did the same. They waited. Twenty minutes went by, but they were both patient hunters. Yuri ran his fingers over the knife tapped down under his armrest and Otabek was as still as stone.

When Otabek does move Yuri hardly resisters it. Only that he is being gently slid under the table and then Otabek took a shot. Yuri laughed as he watched the pilot's body hit the floor. “Yuri” Otabek growled as Yuri started to get out from under the table.

Yuri feels his entire body shiver. Yes, his bones told him, this one was something worth his time. There was one more puzzle, but the chances he understood that was likely now that the pilot was dead.

Yuri had known that the pilot was in on his assassination attempt. The one that made all his guards let the assassins into his bedroom. Fuck them. The pilot had been good friends with the head of security after all. But Otabek had no way of knowing that. Except he had known it. Had done his job of keeping Yuri safe, had taken out the threat so Yuri didn’t have to, and was moving to understand the new situation before he let Yuri run around. In translation, he was doing his fucking job right and Yuri wouldn’t have to show him how to do it.

Yuri watched Otabek drop the dead co-pilot next to the dead pilot and sighed. He had liked that copilot. Yuri had known he was innocent in all this, but that just meant that the pilot had killed him first. A knife drawn across his throat. Otabek nodded at him and Yuri slipped out from under the table.

“Well, that sucks,” Yuri declared and grabbed his phone.

He let Potya out of her carrier and followed Otabek into the cockpit. They both moved to sit in the pilot's seat and stared at each other. “You can fly a plane,” Yuri demanded moving over to the co-pilot’s seat.

“You’re like fifteen,” Otabek accused, “and no records say you can fly a plane.”

“I’m seventeen,” Yuri exclaimed, “and your records don’t say it either.”

Otabek blinked once which Yuri took to mean Otabek was surprised. “Fair,” Otabek agreed.

Yuri poked his cheek and Otabek lightly bated him away. “How old are you anyways,” he demanded.

Otabek passed him one of the headsets and Yuri obediently put it on. “Nineteen,” he answered.

Yuri scrunched his nose. “Wait that would mean you were thirteen during Operation Swift Hoof”, he exclaimed, “that’s messed up.”

“And you were seven when Mission JLax took place,” Otabek pointed out.

Yuri hissed his blood burning, but he refused to react because Otabek hadn’t done anything he hadn’t. He had only replied in turn. Yuri took a moment to get his actions under control and to think about what Otabek had said. He was nineteen. Otabek looked like he was older, his eyes certainly were old. That meant they were only two years apart in age. “I didn’t expect you to be so young,” he added.

“People don’t,” Otabek agreed.

“Not a lot of information is known about you”, Yuri noted as he scrolled through his phone, “even I can’t get much.”

But he had known who Otabek was the second he saw his face. There was one picture of the Hero Of Kazakhstan that existed. One from five years ago, that had taken him three months to find and secure. It had interested him though, so he had got it.

“There isn’t much to know,” Otabek answered.

Yuri threw a pen at him. “That’s stupid,” he declared and then hit a call button.

“Hey! My favorite customer,” the female answered, “what can I do for my favorite kitten?”

“Shut up Sala,” Yuri screamed.

Otabek side eyed him. “What can I do for you, Yuri?”

“I want the CEO of Eaton International killed,” Yuri spat, “I don’t care about the price.”

“What did he do to piss you off,” she purred.

“Trained shitty men,” Yuri grumbled.

“Which account do you want it charged to?”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “I give you a monthly allowance for a reason, not that you need my money by the way. Why do I even pay you when you inherit a fortune? You kill for pleasure, not money anyway. Get the job done.”

She cooed a bit more and he hung up. Then he made another call to a pawn shop owner in Denmark who really only used the shop as a cover for a black market trading facility.

Yuri made several more phone calls before Otabek gently plucked the phone from his hands. “Tell me,” Otabek muttered, “why The Ice Tiger Of Russian is not living in Russia?”

“I haven’t lived in Russia since Project JLax,” Yuri pondered, “but you haven’t been home either.”

Yuri felt joy and surprise rise in his body. How had he figured it out? “I was piecing it together,” Otabek explained, “but your call with Sala. I have some personal connections with her and I heard a phone call she took with you before.”

Yuri smiled. “If she wasn’t so good at her job I’d kill her.”

Yuri didn’t have a great sense of mortality, and no patience for anyone who didn’t do their jobs right. But of course in his own way that meant that Yuri liked her, but he would never admit that. Yuri watched Otabek’s face and smiled. Maybe Otabek could read what he was saying. “Go sleep,” Yuri ordered, “you can take the second flying shift. My bodyguard shouldn’t be exhausted when we reach Russia.”

Otabek stared at him then nodded and leaned back against his seat. Yuri watched him for a moment, thought about how easy it would be to kill him. As Yuri ran his hand over his blade Otabek’s eye popped open and they both smiled at each other. Yuri kept an eye on the plane and made a few more phone calls before he put all his attention on the plane. Hours later he kicked Otabek’s foot and the man drew his gun. He didn’t pull the trigger, and the safety was on, but for Yuri, it was a rush. Otabek’s gun disappeared as soon as it appeared and he took control of the plane. “Yuri,” Otabek warned, “do not do that to me again.”

Yuri opened his mouth but closed it again. “We will talk about rules when we are alone again,” Otabek added.

Yuri snarled at him. “What makes you think you can set rules.”

Otabek raised an eyebrow. “I could leave you with your brother at the airport, or you can hire me as your bodyguard.”

Yuri forced his mouth shut. “I haven’t proposed that,” he growled, but his heart was beating faster.

That had been his plan, but he hadn’t said it. Otabek said nothing. “I don’t like rules,” Yuri admitted.

“No,” Otabek disagreed, “you don’t like nonsensical rules.”

Damn this guy had him pegged. Yuri’s phone rang, he immediately regretted answering it. “Yura!”

Yuri snarled. “What is hell is wrong with you,” Yuri yelled, “why would you not bring your phone with you!”

“I forgot it,” Viktor laughed, “silly me. I always feel safe with Yuuri and I don’t always check things.”

“Then that makes you an idiot,” Yuri screamed, “that phone is so I can call you and I know you will pick up. I don’t need your Japanese Piggy answering!”

Yuri screamed for another fifteen minutes, rage that was left over from the attack leaking out. Viktor took the anger silently and happily. He knew that Yuri was rightly angry, but he also knew how Yuri worked.

“Of course,” Viktor said when Yuri finished, “and we can talk more when you arrive. I’ll meet you at the airport!”

Then Viktor hung up. Yuri hissed. “I’m going to go sleep,” he announced, “and I emailed you a contract to review later.”

Otabek huffed which Yuri took to mean okay, so he left. He woke up to the sound of the intercom crackling. “We are descending in ten minutes,” Otabek announced.

Yurio grabbed Potya from her spot sleeping on the bed and put her back in her carrier much her to protest. Yuri gave her a sympathetic look and joined Otabek in the cockpit. He could see a mask forming on Otabek’s face. How it differed from the face he had been seeing in the last few hours he wasn’t sure.

He buckled up and put on the head seat. “I will make sure it is Nikiforov’s security presence at the airport before you get off,” Otabek announced.

“My brother won’t fuck security up,” Yuri snarled.

And Viktor wouldn’t. It was known around the world that Viktor was very strict about security. Otabek ignored him. But Yuri hadn’t been really protesting and he agreed with Otabek so it didn’t matter.

Yuri waited patiently when the plane landed for Otabek to step outside. When he was given the okay he trudged down the steps glancing around at the security team and Viktor with his Piggy waiting outside their car.

Viktor saw him and flounced over with his stupid heart-shaped grin. “Yura! I missed you so much! I’m so glad to see you!”

“Get off of me you ridiculous mutt,” Yuri yelled but didn’t try very hard to get away.

His brother was an idiot, but he loved him. Idolized him. Because Viktor was a fool, but very good at his job. A job that had been Yuri’s and had been taken from him. Not that Viktor had wanted to steal it away, but shit happens.

Viktor finally let him go and he got his first look at Katsuki in person. He wasn’t any different from the pictures. He was in what most people refused to as “Cute Katsuki” mode. The one in which he acted like he was less than he actually was.

The black sweater hung low on his hips and didn’t hide the gun in his jeans, but he was wearing glasses and his hair was a mess. Yuri was surprised. He expected Katsuki to meet him differently.

“Hello Yuri,” Katsuki greeted.

“Piggy,” Yuri sneered jolting out his chin.

Katsuki ignored the insult while Viktor started to chid him. Yuri ignored Viktor and watched Katsuki step up to Otabek shaking the other man’s hand. Yuri wanted to snarl at his brother’s husband for touching Otabek. Irrational. But Yuri never minded his own irrationality. “Thank you for agreeing to help on such short notice”

Otabek’s face and body language hadn’t changed but Yuri could tell he was uncomfortable. “Hey,” Yuri yelled, “don’t ignore me!”

Otabek’s eyes didn’t leave Katsuki but Yuri knew he had the other man’s attention. “How was the flight Yura,” Viktor tried to placate.

Yuri spat. “The stupid pilot tried to kill me. You can handle the cleaning bill for my plane.”

Viktor’s eyes slipped over to Otabek his hands twitching. “Did you kill him?”

Yuri was about to throw another fit, but Otabek stepped in, “I shot him. He killed the copilot before I did.”

Viktor’s smile returned. “Thank you for keeping an eye on my Yura, Dark Horse, I understand my Yuuri hired you to escort him home. We appreciate the effort, please come join us for dinner.”

Otabek nodded. “Thank you that is appreciated Yuri and I have some contract details to go over still.”

“I didn’t send you a contract,” Katsuki muttered.

“I did,” Yuri yelled stomping his foot, “go to hell Piggy you aren’t the only Yuri.”

He grabbed Otabek’s arm and pulled him into the waiting car slamming the door shut. “Drive,” he ordered to the driver.

Yuri glanced at Otabek who was watching him his mouth quirked up and Yuri blushed. “Go to hell,” he yelled.

“Should I start calling you Yura?”

It took Yuri a minute to determine that Otabek was teasing him, maybe even flirting. “No,” Yuri spat, “there can only be one Yuri!”

Yuri made another call to a bank drumming his fingers against the plastic of the car. But he enjoyed Otabek’s smirk. It was strange, but he was enjoying Otabek.

By the time they got to the manor, Viktor had put on his mob boss face and Yuri followed him and Katsuki down to Viktor’s office. Viktor sat down at the throne of a chair behind his desk. Which Viktor liked to admit resembled a throne on purpose. He pulled Katsuki to rest on his knee. The Japanese man perched there obediently looking like he belonged to be there.

Yuri groaned and took one of the seats across from the desk and threw his legs onto it much to Viktor’s annoyance. “Tell me about what happened,” Viktor ordered.

Yuri pushed the chair back so that it was balancing on two legs. “It was messy, but they tried,” he admitted, “I thought something was off. The security was starting to get sloppy the last month and they got jumpy this week. I was up investigating their connections in bed when the cameras I put up, that they knew about shut off and the ones they didn’t know about showed the head of security letting two assassins in the front door. So I waited until they got to my room and then I slaughtered them all.”

He tossed a small black rectangle onto the table. “Security footage,” he explained with a shrug.

“Who was it,” Viktor demanded.

Yuri spat. “Americans. Private company.”

And it had been a private company, but it wasn’t hard to figure out it was the Canadians who had hired the American’s. But Yuri wasn’t going to tell Viktor that.

Viktor took the SD card and plugged it into his computer. His face was impassive as he watched the would-be killers creep up the steps towards the door. His eyes glint with pride and guilt when Yuri systematically killed them all with his hands and knives.

Katsuki is not nearly as passive. Maybe he had never seen how Yuri kills before because he hissed in just the right places, whispered into Viktor’s ear a finger trailing down the monitor. Yuri snuck a glance at Otabek who had been looking at the screen, but as Yuri looked at him he shifts his eyes to meet his. And Yuri saw interest in the other man’s eyes.

They return their eyes to the screen before Viktor or Katsuki could see. As the footage ends with Yuri climbing back into bed opening his computer Viktor stopped the footage. “I’ll make sure to give the Americans a call,” he announced, “why don’t you go sleep and shower Yura. I’ll handle this.”

“Like hell, you will,” Yuri protested kicking the desk in faux rage, “they came after me so I get to handle it.”

Viktor sighed. “Any attack on you is an attack on the family. An attack on me. Despite that, despite where you live you are still a minor, and I am still your legal guardian. Your safety belongs in my hands and I’ve clearly been failing. Go take a break Yura. I’ll handle this. Show Otabek to his room if you would like.”

Yuri postured some more for good measure and stormed out of the room. As soon as the office door closed Yuri let his shoulders relax and dropped into a casual stroll rather than his raging storm.

Otabek stayed half a step behind him until Yuri entered a room and plopped down on the bed stretching his body out on it. “You can stay here,” Yuri announced and motioned to a door with his foot, “my room is right through there.”

Otabek handed him his bag of computers that he had been carrying since they got off the plane. Yuri took it and stood up. “You should get some sleep,” he added, “if your not up before dinner I’ll come to wake you.”

And with that Yuri slipped out the door he had pointed to. Behind his closed-door, Yuri set up his computers and got back to business.


	4. Chapter 4

Otabek did sleep. Not for long. Only an hour, but not before he did a basic sweep of the room. When he woke up again he entered the bath which was way too big and took a shower. When he finished he entered the Pixie’s room.

Yuri was sitting at a desk multiple laptops, desktops, and screens circled around him. The room was mostly purple, flashy, with leopard and tiger print everything. It was tacky and awful. It fit Yuri perfectly. Potya was laying on Yuri’s bed sleeping, the cat had been washed, groomed, and given a red bow since they had landed. Despite all the luxury, Otabek noted that Yuri’s room was much smaller than the one he had given him. That while extravagant nothing was frivolous. Everything was well used.

Yuri spun around in his chair making a full 360 circle lazily. “La Iglesia if you don’t stop whining I will come over there and put you out of your misery,” Yuri snapped, but without any venom.

“Please do.”

Otabek peered over Yuri’s shoulder and looked at the young head of the Syndicated Gangs Of America.

Leo de la Iglesia was the fourteenth heir of the organization and should have never risen to power, but a series of unfortunate events killed all of Leo’s older siblings. America was not the best place for organized crime. There were so many different groups that clashed and struggled for power. Fifty years ago the De la Iglesia family had fought and organized their way to power through marriages, trade deals, and murders. Hence why there had been fourteen heirs.

Leo was crucial to the survival of the American gang system. Without him, they would all break apart and restart old gang wars. And Leo to his credit was very good at the job he inherited. He was friendly, cultured, well educated, personable, and deadly. It was interesting to see how much he hated the world he controlled. Leo had run away from his own people three times in the last year and that wasn’t even his record for the most runaways in a year. His inner circle and the other Gangs were used to pulling him off the street and bringing him home.

“Oh hey Tiger you got the Dark Horse with you,” Leo exclaimed, “I didn’t know you were friends.”

Yuri picked his nails. “That’s what I was telling you about, but you keep interrupting me,” he answered.

“Are you having sex with him,” Leo asked.

Otabek wasn’t sure who Leo was talking to. Yuri glanced back at Otabek. “Not yet,” he answered with a Cheshire Cat smile.

Otabek resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew that Yuri was acting a part just to be dramatic so he didn’t say anything. “Anyways,” Yuri pressed before Leo could get another word in, “I was attacked yesterday. We’re currently discussing a security contract.”

Leo whistled. “Who were they after Yuri Plisetsky or The Ice Tigger Of Russia?”

Otabek watched Yuri’s eyes glint with frustration. “Well that’s the question, isn’t it? I’m operating as they are after the Tigger. They had no way of knowing my real name. It’s not like security firms will let me hire them anymore.”

“I wonder why,” Leo answered rolling his eyes, “let me guess you told Viktor that it was one of the American Association Firms that came after you and now I have to prove it was a freelance agent before he decides to wage war right?”

“I already proved it for you,” Yuri sneered, “you just sell it to him. That’s why I keep you around. I sent the information already. Be ready for Viktor.”

“I always am,” Leo agreed, “anyways are you still going to the concert after the Young Heirs conference thing or whatever?”

“Please do not refer to largest and most historical organized crime event as a thing or whatever,” Yuri snarled.

Leo shrugged. “How’s your security for the event,” Otabek asked.

“Fuck you Dark Horse,” Leo hissed, “you know exactly what my security is like!”

Otabek smiled and Leo continued to grumble. “Do you know how hard it is to walk outside my house? I do much as look out a window and someone is reaching over to lock it. If you hadn’t shown up two years ago I could still be sneaking out to listen to my own breath occasionally. Do you know how hard it was to hire him,” he jerked his thumb at Yuri as he spat, “it’s nearly impossible to find the guy even with all my connections and then convincing him to use his network to help me sneak out of my own country, much less damn house?”

Yuri laughed and Leo’s temper snapped in an unusual fit of rage, “I’d say my security is pretty damn good. Thank you very much.”

He shot his computer and the connection die. Yuri howled with laughter. From what he had heard of the Pixie this kind of joy should be foreign to him, but the laughter sounded right coming from him. Then his eyes sharpen. “So you created Iglesia’s security team.”

“And you keep making me improve it.”

Yuri laughed again and rolled his chair back turning to face Otabek pulling out a folder from a drawer. Otabek recognized the contract and pulled up a second chair. “Permanent detail,” he stated.

“What,” Yuri asked blinking slowly.

“Permanent detail of nothing,” Otabek repeated.

“But why” Yuri questioned hesitation leaking from his voice.

Why would be the question. But he had known the moment he saw the Pixie that he was meant to stay by his side. Because he was bored of protecting sniveling old men from their well-deserved death. Because he was good at his job because he knew how to handle surprises and big personalities and Yuri was horribly both. Because Yuri was beautiful. Because Yuri jumped with joy over the color of a car, and he wanted to see him that happy again. He would not be bored, and Yuri was cut from the same kind of cloth. The same way Leo had been.

Otabek didn’t provide an answer and Yuri didn’t actually offer him time to give one. Maybe he saw it in his eyes. “Alright,” he agreed, “but I demand a six month trial period. If it doesn’t work out then we both walk out. And I am writing in a clause that states you have an out at the end of every year, after seven years it will move to every three years after sixteen years every ten years. If it doesn’t work out on my end I’ll just kill you. Though I suppose you could also kill me as well.”

“I don’t want you dead,” Otabek confessed.

Yuri threw him a weary smile. “Spend a week with me,” he challenged, “and then get back to me.”

Otabek had gone through worse challenges. “I’ll build you a security team,” Otabek added and then grinned, “just in case you do kill me.”

Yuri tisked. “A better one than Iglesia’s,” he challenged, his eyes lighting with fire.

Otabek nodded his mind running through everyone he knew in the business. The ones who were _bored_. Yuri was not boring. Katsuki had known he was bored and had wanted him to come and get his brother in law, but he couldn’t know what Otabek would do. Not this.

They shook on it. Yuri typed up a new contract with Otabek leaning over his shoulder and whispering changes into his ear. They both signed the finished draft and stared at each other a heavy, 'What now?' Passing between them.

The door to the room burst open and Viktor’s dog plus Viktor flounced in. “Dinner Yuri!”

His eyes lock on Otabek and there were a million different warnings in the Russian’s eyes. That all boiled down to Yuri being the most important thing in his life. That the poor fool who ever hurt Yuri would not ever tell the tale after Viktor’s wrath reached them.

“We were just finishing the contract,” Yuri barked, “ever hear of knocking?”

“Why would I have to knock in my own house?”

“This is why I don’t live here,” Yuri snapped and stormed out the door.

Viktor’s eyes sharpen on Otabek as Yuri walked out and he stayed obediently in his seat. The joyful man disappeared as soon as Yuri was gone. In his place was a dead man. A man without feelings. It’s an occupational hazard and Viktor was never meant for this. He hadn’t been equipped to handle his rise to power so Otabek knew the unfeeling eyes were earned.

“I care about few things,” Viktor announced, “everything else is expendable.”

He narrowed his eyes. “It would be a shame to kill you Dark Horse, but for my Yura, I will. It will sadden my Yuuri, so I will kill you slowly if I have to.”

And then there is a sabre under his chin and blood running down it. It hadn’t looked like Viktor moved, and where he got the sword from it was hard to tell. Otabek’s gun was still pressed against the other man’s chest anyways. Because while it hadn’t looked like Viktor had moved Otabek had _known_.

He met Viktor’s unflinching eyes with his own and sneered. Viktor laughed stepping back. “I’m glad we have that out of the way,” he chirped throwing a heart-shaped smile and the sabre was gone again.

Otabek put his gun back into the shoulder holster and nodded. Sometimes big personalities just needed to know where their limits were and once they were established everything was fine. And everyone in this house was a big personality.

The Yuris were waiting outside the hall. Yuri had his arms cross as he leaned against the wall glaring at the older man and Yuuri was only smiling pleasantly.

Viktor kissed his husband and Otabek joined Yuri. “Get a room,” Yuri screamed and stomped down the hall.

“They’re so gross,” Yuri complained.

But Otabek could tell something about it wasn’t real. That Yuri was acting. Posturing for something. And it stayed the same way through a very tense dinner. “Did you finish with that contract,” Yuuri asked.

Otabek didn’t let himself stiffen like he wanted to. He never let himself have a reaction unless he wanted to, but Yuuri Katsuki was an unnerving man. One that made him glad he didn’t talk much. A person could get in a very dangerous position if they talked too much around him. Yuuri sending him for Yuri and now set on this contract put him on edge. But Otabek was not going to deny himself what he wanted because Katsuki was trying to manipulate him.

“Go to hell,” Yuri screamed, “that’s none of your business!”

He threw his fork down. “Yuratchka!”

A red-headed woman ran into the room bursting with excitement. Yuri screamed and tried to run away but the woman easily caught him pulling him into a crushing hug. “Let go of me you hag,” he screamed.

He glared at Otabek dangling from her arms looking like a wet cat. “What kind of body guard are you?”

Otabek smiled. He was not going to get in the way of Mila Babicheva, the head of the famous Russian Security department, and secret long time partner to one Sala Crispino half of the Italian throne who was also one of the best assassins in the world, part-time of course.  

“I’m not going to get in her way,” Otabek answered sipping his wine.

“Useless!”

Mila let go of Yuri. “Dark Horse,” she greeted with a snarky smile holding out her hand, “it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Otabek stood and shook her hand. “And you Mila,” he answered.

She punched his shoulder. “What are you doing in Russia again?”

“Again,” Yuri exclaimed.

Yes, Otabek occasionally spent a day watching the security of Mila and Sala on one of those rare times that they went to see each other in person. He had a little soft spot for the couple who had no idea what they were doing.

“There’s so few of us who manage to survive in this business,” Mila explained, “all the good ones know each other.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Not many of them were as close as he was with Mila. They shared a kind of past that no one else could quite understand. Yuri hummed throwing Otabek a questioning look like he knew they weren't telling the complete truth. “And what are you three doing with Beka,” she asked the room.

“Yuri was attacked,” Yuuri answered, “I asked Otabek if he would escort him home.”

Mila’s eyes narrowed. “Who attacked my Yuratchka,” she demanded.

“The same old American companies who get hired out,” Viktor answered with a wave of his hand, “though it always seems like the Americans never do it.”

No one asked why Yuri never left one alive to question. Everyone knew he couldn’t. Mila tisked. “Don’t worry Yuratchka I’ll have your usual Russian guards for you by the morning,” she exclaimed.

“Otabek will be my bodyguard from now on,” Yuri announced.

“How long,” Mila asked looking between them.

“Until I die,” Otabek announced because in truth he was no less dramatic than Yuri.

Mila snorted, most likely to hide a gasp. The shocked look in her eyes said enough. “You don’t take out permanent contracts,” she exclaimed.

Otabek could feel Katsuki’s eyes burning into his skull, and the way Mila’s eyes were flickering he could tell she noticed too. “I’m going out,” Yuri announced, “Mila you can show him the maps.”

Mila nodded. “Right,” she agreed and started to tug Otabek away.

He followed her silently. When they were far down the hall she released his arm. “Katsuki sent you to Yuri,” she asked.

Otabek had known her long enough to understand what she was saying. “I don’t like it either,” he agreed.

“As far as the business goes Katsuki is a good man,” she muttered, “but he is cunning and ambitious. I don’t understand why he agreed to be Viktor’s bride.”

“Better a bride than to hide their relationship any longer,” Otabek muttered.

Mila grunted no doubt thinking of her own love life. “Either way,” she answered, “I’ve never seen a greater tactician. Why are you doing this? What does my Yuratchka have to do with you?”

“Katsuki said I was bored, and I am,” he admitted.

“Well Yuratchka has never been boring,” she muttered, “but there are plenty of other ways to find excitement.”

“I do not like protecting horrible old men,” he confessed, “and I don’t care about my reputation. The Pixie is enchanting and I will build a security team capable of defending him. That is a worth wild challenge.”

“Challenge or suicide? Who will agree to that? Those who are crazy like you are often not as good.”

Otabek smirked at her. She shook her head. Otabek let Mila run him through their security procedures and show him around their training grounds, armory, and car garage. “Yuratchka probably wants to go to his favorite club tonight,” Mila explained.

Yuri was young for clubbing, but Otabek couldn’t judge. Mila showed him the maps of Saint Petersburg and sent him the layout of the club along with all the routes to get there. “He always goes and sees Georgi when he gets home.”

Georgi- Viktor’s assassin. Like everything about the Russians, the man was unstable at best. His temperament was affected by his love life which was in constant disarray. An increase in killings meant heartbreak. Otabek couldn’t remember where Georgi was at his relationship stage at the moment.

“Do you want a car or a motorcycle?” Mila asked with a wink.

Otabek preferred the versatility of a motorcycle most days. He had a reputation for great motorcycle escapes. “Car,” he answered, “I’m not familiar enough with the area yet.”

She nodded and pressed a call button. They waited a moment before an older man walked in. Otabek recognized him as the driver from the car earlier. “Otabek this is Gus,” Mila introduced, “he’s Yuri’s preferred driver. Gus this is Otabek he’s Yura’s new security.”

Otabek shook hands with the man, and Otabek made a mental note to get Yuri a different driver immediately. They briefly talked about the route before Otabek went to change into a fresh set of clothes. When he was finished getting dressed there was a knock at the door.

He opened it and Yuri brushed in. “Come sit. I’m doing your make up,” he ordered pulling Otabek towards a chair.

Otabek sat obediently while Yuri pulled a few tools out of a small black bag. “Aren’t you going to protest,” Yuri asked as he uncapped a tube of eyeliner.

“Not unless you do a bad job,” Otabek answered.

Yuri huffed at him and pulled his chin up. “If you tell me I did a bad job I will stab your eye out.”

Yuri started his work and Otabek held still as the blond went about his mission. “Most guys freak out if you mention makeup to them,” Yuri noted with a soft hum, “just because I look more feminine with it doesn’t mean you have to do it the same way.”

Otabek didn’t care how he looked. Sure he had a preference for what to wear but that was just a preference. If it didn’t get in the way of his job he didn’t care what he looked like. “I keep staring at your eyes,” Yuri added, “it would be a travesty if I let you out without popping them.”

Otabek felt his lip twitch into a smile. Yuri stopped half-way through doing his eyelashes. “This is unprofessional” he declared backing away.

Which was true. “Does it need to be,” Otabek questioned.

Yuri bit his lip. “Shouldn’t it?”

Otabek shrugged. “What do you want from me,” Otabek asked taking the mascara from Yuri’s hand and setting it down as Yuri looked away from him.

He stood and pulled Yuri’s chin up so their eyes meet. “What do you want,” Otabek repeated.

“Someone to do their fucking job,” Yuri snarled.

“Do you think I can do that?”

Yuri jerked away and stomped his foot. “What kind of question is that? I wouldn’t have signed that contract if you couldn’t!”

“Does professionalism matter to you then?”

Yuri didn’t meet his eyes. “As long as the job is done right I don’t care,” he spat.

“Then make this relationship whatever you want it to be Yuri. We are going to be together for a very long time.”


	5. Chapter 5

Yuri’s heart pounded in his chest. He liked the idea of being with Otabek for a long time far more than he had any right to. Yuri was in no way used to being around people his age. He wasn’t used to being around anyone. Didn’t want to be around anyone, but the second he had seen Otabek standing in his hallway he had known that he wanted the other man’s attention.

“Why,” Yuri demanded slashing his nails through the air his voice getting higher with each word, “why would you want to be near me? What the hell do you get out of it! What kind of stunt is this?”

Otabek grabbed Yuri’s hands pulling them down and away from his body as Yuri screeched. “Yura,” Otabek purred.

Yuri froze his breath getting caught in his throat. The word sounded so sweet. He felt himself go limp, but Otabek kept him standing. Yuri finally met Otabek’s eyes. The makeup was fantastic even though half finished. His eyes held a fierce gentleness.

“I have been in the security business my entire life,” Otabek told him, “there comes a point when nothing is challenging and everything is worth nothing.”

Otabek paused, “I see you and for the first time I see someone I want to protect.”

Yuri felt his breath get trapped in his throat. “Why? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Otabek shrugged. “Are you going to become friends with me or not?”

Yuri swallowed. “I’ve never had a friend,” he admitted.

Otabek waited and Yuri pushed his head into Otabek’s chest sliding his hands down to his sides. “If you betray me I’ll kill you,” Yuri warned.

Otabek chuckled and ran his fingers through Yuri’s hair. “I know.”

Otabek released him and picked up the mascara brush leaning forward into the mirror and skillfully applying the makeup. Yuri’s jaw dropped as Otabek turned back to him with a small smirk dropping the mascara into Yuri’s traveling makeup bag. Otabek winked and strolled out of the room. “Coming,” Otabek asked back.

Yuri laughed once he got over his shock and chased after Otabek. They walked into the garage together in silence, Yuri’s heels clicking on the ground. Yuri waved at his driver as he climbed in and put his feet on Otabek’s lap. He pulled out his phone and checked his emails. He sent a few replies and made a purchase on the black market.

When they arrived at the club Otabek slid out of the car and held the door open holding a hand out to Yuri. “Tell me where you are going before you wander off,” Otabek instructed as Yuri stepped out.

“Da,” he agreed.

They walked into the club side by side. Yuri watched Otabek’s eyes light up a little when the music pounded into their ears.

He saw Otabek’s eyes scan the room before landing on the DJ booth. Yuri knew from his records that Otabek had been spotted at numerous clubs in his spare time getting into trouble and DJing. Not that anyone who knew that, knew that Otabek was The Dark Horse.

Yuri made his way towards Georgi’s office when the room suddenly went quiet. Georgi appeared at the railing at the top of the second story and everyone looked up at him. “Yura! My Russian Prince! Come up here. I want to introduce you to someone!”

Yuri groaned. Georgi had gotten together with another assassin named Anya since he had been away. The room parted for Yuri and Otabek and they made their way upstairs. Georgi hugged Yuri and Yuri snarled trying to pull away. “I heard you were attacked again,” Georgi exclaimed pulling him towards his office.

Yuri hissed and Georgi laughed. “And who do we have with you,” he asked.

Yuri looked back at Otabek who was trailing behind them. Otabek only nodded at him. “My new security,” Yuri answered, “The Dark Horse.”

Georgi stopped walking and let out a scream. Yuri jerked back covering his ears and Otabek caught him under an arm. Georgi pointed a finger at Otabek. “You hid one of my targets from me,” he accessed when he was done screaming.

Otabek shrugged in response. “Georgi what are you screaming for,” a woman in a dark purple dress demanded walking out of his office.

Georgi immediately swooned. “Anya my love! Come met Russia’s Prince.”

He held out his arm to her and she took it sending Yuri and Otabek a glare. “Anya this is Yuri Plisetsky, Yuri this is the love of my life, Anya.”

“Ugh,” Yuri complained, “I can’t wait until you dump this hag.”

Anya cried out a protest and Georgi gasped. “How dare you! Anya is the most beautiful angel in the world.”

Yuri sighed. “Do you know why most of your relationships end?”

“No,” Georgi pouted.

Yuri started to walk into Georgi’s office, “most of the women who date you are assassins sent to kill you,” Yuri reminded him.

“That’s not true,” Georgi exclaimed.

Yuri laughed. “I don’t want to hear this,” Anya announced, “I’m going to get a drink.”

Yuri flopped himself down into a chair and watched Otabek close the door. “Anya isn’t the same as the others,” Georgi protested.

“Anya is running away from the building right now,” Yuri pointed out.

Georgi laughed. “No, she isn’t! Anya and I are in Love!”

Yuri held out his phone to Georgi and watched Georgi’s eyes widen, and then darken. “I’ll be back,” he announced pulling out his favorite gun.

He stormed out of the room. Once he was out Otabek stepped forward and leaned over Yuri’s shoulder to watch the video feed. Anya was indeed making her way out of the bar and Georgi appeared at the top of the railing. Otabek turned and locked the door again pulling out his gun as the shots started to go off watching the feed with one eye as he did.

The crowd started to panic pulling out guns and ducking for cover. Anya got hit on the shoulder before she escaped out the door. Yuri snickered. “Getting the access codes for Georgi’s cameras was so worth the money.”

The crowd filtered out and Georgi followed. Otabek stashed his gun away and leaned against the wall. “Is that what we are here for,” he asked.

Yuri picked at the hem of his shirt. “One of the reasons, maybe,” he agreed, “but I always visit Georgi when I come back to Saint Petersburg.”

Otabek stared into his eyes, “Why?” he asked.

Yuri grunted and lightly kicked the table. “He trained me,” Yuri admitted, “and he’s always kept an eye on Viktor and the Piggy for me. Georgi sucks at being in relationships, but he understands relationships better than anyone, as long as he isn’t in them. As payment for his observations, all I have to do is visit him when I come back.”

Yuri shrugged. Otabek gave Yuri what Yuri considered Otabek’s knowing smile, though his face didn’t change much. “I don’t care about Viktor and his Piggy though!”

“Alright,” Otabek agreed, “why didn’t you tell Georgi that Anya was an assassin sent to kill him before we arrived?”

“I finished collecting the information on the ride over and I wanted to see his reaction,” Yuri snickered.

They fell into an easy silence. Surprisingly it wasn’t awkward. It was companionable and Yuri felt relaxed. An hour later Georgi reappeared, sweating but otherwise missing the other telltale signs of a kill. “Did she get away,” Yuri asked.

Georgi slammed his gun onto his desk and started to wail. “Why Anya have you betrayed me like this! I thought it was love!”

He collapsed into a fit of sobs and moans. “Whoops,” Yuri snickered.

He nudged Georgi with his foot. “Want a drink?”

“I want to drown myself in my sorrows!”

“Ugh.”

Yuri considered his options. He could try to get Georgi to relax and have a normal visit, or if he should call Mila to get Georgi home and into bed. He looked at the security footage and the empty bar and called Mila. “Come pick up the Pigeon,” he ordered, “and do a better job of screening his girlfriends.”

Georgi shrieked and Yuri rolled his eyes. “I’ll close down the club before you get here.”

“Awh are you getting soft Yura,” she cooed.

“Hell no” he screamed “he’s no good to me this way and I don’t want my favorite club shut down.”

“Whatever you say Yura. I’ll be there soon.”

She hung up. Yuri regarded Georgi again before tilting his head to the door. Otabek nodded going over to it and checking outside. Yuri set about his task and by the time he had finished (with Otabek’s help), Mila had arrived. “What took you so long Grandma,” Yuri teased, “did you drive to slow?”

“Maybe,” she agreed walking over before she caught Yuri by his waist and hefted him over her head and walking up to Georgi’s office.

“Let go of me! Otabek what kind of security are you? I am being assaulted!”

Yuri hissed when Mila finally set him down and jumped back out of her arms reach. “Wish me luck,” Mila cheered walking into Georgi’s office.

Yuri turned to Otabek and rubbed his face. “Come on,” he told him heading back down the steps.

“Where are we going,” Otabek asked.

“My dance studio,” Yuri answered, “if you tell anyone that I’ll claw your face off.”

“Yuri who would I tell that to?”

“Other information brokers, mob and mafia leaders, tabloids, anyone with a grudge against me, possibilities are endless. Viktor.”

Otabek frowned and held the car door open for him. “My alliance is to you,” Otabek stated.

Yuri slid in and Otabek followed. “That’s stupid,” Yuri complained.

The car slid into motion as Yuri contemplated what Otabek had said. He was used to having to guard his words and make threats, but maybe Otabek would be different. “After a stressful event, Viktor goes on walks with Makkachin. Mila plays on a casual hockey team. Don’t get me started on all the guys she dates from there. Georgi plays darts. After project JLax I had no output for anything I was feeling until my grandfather’s cousin introduced me to ballet. I don’t have any formal training, but Yakov’s wife found me practicing one day and helped me along.”

“I didn’t know Yakov remarried before his death,” Otabek noted.

“No,” Yuri corrected with a slight flinch, he wasn’t very good at being completely honest, “Yakov and Lilia Baranovskaya got back together a year before his death. They didn’t want their relationship on government record again, but that was what they called each other. Lilia isn’t part of this world, so we try to keep her name from being spread around. She runs a dancing company in Finland. I’ve visited her a couple of time since Yakov died.”

“I’ve heard his death was very hard on your family,” Otabek stated, but more of a with condolence than an asking a question kind of way.

Yuri considered that. If his working and personal relationship with Otabek was going to work then Otabek needed to know these types of things. “Yakov’s son was Viktor's and my father,” he informed Otabek, “however our father married an American woman when he was eighteen. She was a civilian and that made Viktor an illegitimate heir. She died in childbirth. Yakov arranged our father’s marriage to my mother. She was the third daughter of the second most powerful mob circle in Russia. I’m told she was a passionate woman and she didn’t get along with my father. When I was two they were killed in a car crash while I was at her father’s house. After that, I was raised in his house training to be the official Russian heir until JLax. Afterward, I moved from Moscow to live here in Saint Petersburg with Yakov and Viktor. Yakov died of a heart attack soon after Viktor turned eighteen. No one was ready. Because Viktor is illegitimate and I was ruined as an heir he had to fight tooth and nail for his position. So he sent me away while he was securing his throne, and I’ve never really come back.”

Yuri took in a deep breath as he finished and rubbed at his cheek. Otabek squeezed his knee. “I’ve never really had a home either,” he admitted.

“You don’t need to say anything,” Yuri interrupted him, the last thing Yuri wanted was for Otabek to accuse him of manipulating him into sharing information,  “I didn’t say any of that to get you to share.”

“I won’t speak,” Otabek told him, “but listen to something for me?”

“Listen,” Yuri asked.

How was he supposed to listen to anything if Otabek wasn’t going to speak? Otabek only nodded in reply. “Alright,” Yuri agreed, his intrest piked.

He leaned his head onto Otabek’s shoulder suddenly drained. How did Viktor go around sharing things with people? It was exhausting.

Yuri got his bag from the trunk when they reached the studio while Otabek checked inside. Once inside he quickly changed into his dance clothes and headed into the studio. Once he reached the hall soft melancholy music filtered into his ear. There was something angry and terrifying about it that sent chills down his spine. Yuri crept forward as the song started to build. It was intense but extremely controlled. Pain turning into indifference, turning into a soft kind of anger. Meaningless success. Abandonment. Confusion, despair, and frustration. Yuri stopped at the doorway watching Otabek’s hands move over the keys of a piano.

When the last notes faded away Otabek looked up and meet his eyes. Yuri gulped. “What’s that song?”

“I call it Stolen Choice.”

“You wrote that,” Yuri asked making his way over to the piano, “that’s so cool!”

Yuri stopped, “cool that you wrote it I mean. The song is amazing.”

Otabek gave him a reassuring smile, well Yuri was pretty sure it was Otabek’s version of a reassuring smile. Yuri licked his lips. “Can I... can I dance to that?”

Yuri felt oddly vulnerable asking that, and it wasn’t a feeling he really enjoyed. Otabek didn’t reply, but his hands went back to the keys and he nodded at Yuri. Yuri scrambled away from the piano and took a starting pose.

His eyes locked with Otabek and they began.


	6. Chapter 6

Otabek watched the Pixie fly across the room. He didn’t copy his song as if he understood it, but he answered it as a strong mixture of empathy, admiration, and respect. He danced to each note as if to say he was listening to what Otabek was telling him.  
As beautiful as it was to watch Otabek could not bear to play the song a third time. Still, he wanted to watch the Pixie move and Yuri wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue. So he transitioned his song into Beethoven, and Yuri transitioned with him.

Otabek had never played with the idea that someone was dancing to it, but here and now it was like he had always been doing just that. Watching Yuri he knew exactly what to do and Yuri knew how to move in and outside the music. It was nothing like DJing, but he could easily get addicted to it.

They finally came to rest at the same time. Yuri dramatically fell to the ground his chest heaving up and down. Otabek stood and stretched out his limbs walking over to his bag and pulled out two water bottles. Then he sat next to Yuri offering the water bottle to him. Yuri sat up and gulped down the water, sweat glistening down his chin.

Otabek looked back down to his own water bottle to distract himself from the beauty next to him. Then his fingers slipped on the cap and he realized how numb his fingers were. “Here,” Yuri rasped and took the bottle from his hands opening it and giving it back.

Otabek nodded his thanks and took a long drink. They sat there for a while in silence until Yuri yawned and grabbed his dance bag. “Let’s go,” he announced.

They left the building turning the lights off as they went and returned back to the Nikiforov mansion. When they arrived Yuri went to shower and Otabek went to find Mila. She was playing cards with the kitchen staff yawning. “Hey,” she greeted, “Everyone this is The Dark Horse he’s Yuri’s bodyguard, Dark Horse this is every one that is here.”

Otabek nodded to the group as they gave sympathetic mumbles and winces. He almost wanted to roll his eyes, but Yuri’s reputation was well deserved. Mila got up and lead Otabek into the hall. “So Georgi is useless for a couple days now,” she announced, “and Viktor decided to send him on a job to help ease him so Yuri won’t be able to visit him any time soon. If Yuri is staying home tomorrow I’ll take you around the city and help you get a feel for the place.”

“Thank you,” Otabek replied squeezing her arm.

Mila smiled. “Don’t think I’m doing it for you, I’m doing it for me. I can drag you around the shops and make you carry my bags.”

She laughed and winked. “Go get some sleep. You’re starting to look tired.”

“You too,” he answered before heading to his room.

Otabek showered and got ready for bed sticking a gun under his pillow and locking the windows. As he settled onto the giant four poster king size bed it felt large and empty. He was contemplating moving to the floor while tossing and turning when the door connected to Yuri’s room cracked open. Then the Kitten crept in, he didn’t say anything rubbing his eyes as he approached the bed. Otabek pulled the covers back and the Pixie climbed into his bed. “If you snore I kicking you onto the ground,” Yuri threatened as Otabek’s heart pounded.

He chuckled and the Pixie glared at him before his eyes softened. “You can kick me out,” he muttered.

The hammering in his heart ceased as the protective instinct he had never had before swelled over him. Otabek wrapped an arm around Yuri’s waist and pulled the other man close before he drifted off to sleep.

Like usual Otabek woke up at dawn. Unlike usual there was someone else in his bed. Otabek glance down to where Yuri was tangled with his own body. The beautiful mop of blond hair shimmered in the morning light and while his skin looked, icy pale, it was warm. They breathed in sync. “Go back to sleep,” Yuri mumbled barring himself deeper into Otabek’s arms and the blankets.

Otabek chuckled and Yuri kicked him in the ankle. “Sleep,” he ordered.

Despite his orders, Otabek knew he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep but he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift in the early morning. When Yuri decided to wake up he didn’t get out of bed. Instead, he pulled himself up to meet Otabek’s eyes. They said nothing just staring at each other. Otabek allowed his fingers to trace patterns into Yuri’s back over his nightshirt until he realized he was tapping out songs.

“Rule one,” Otabek mumbled because now was as good of a time as any, “I walk in everywhere first.”

Yuri with his sharp eyes settled down and listened as Otabek talked and tapped songs into his back. When Otabek finished speaking Yuri snorted. “Did you meet your maximum number of words for the day yet?”

“You’ll follow these rules Yuri”, Otabek told him.

Yuri hummed. “Okay,” he agreed.

They laid in bed for a little while longer before Yuri wiggled his way out and back into his room. Otabek went and took a shower. When he exited the bathroom Yuri was sifting through his bag. Otabek sighed. He knew that Yuri, an information broker, couldn’t help it. Yuri tossed a leather jacket at him and Otabek slung it on. “Do you have more clothes that need to be shipped here?”

“No,” Otabek answered.

“That’s horrible,” Yuri announced.

He dragged himself off the floor and handed Otabek a credit card. “When you’re out with Mila today, buy yourself an actual wardrobe,” he ordered, “I don’t want to be seen with someone who only owns five shirts.”

“I can pay for myself,” Otabek answered.

“And I pay your salary,” Yuri pointed out, “besides I need to use this card here. Think of it as shopping for your uniforms if that helps.”

Otabek knew a losing fight when he saw one. “Aren’t you going to ask how I knew you were going out with Mila today,” Yuri demanded as Otabek pocketed the credit card.

“Why would I need to do that,” Otabek asked.

Yuri glared. “Isn’t it a violation of privacy or something stupid like that,” he demanded, “there’s hardly anything on you out there. Most people like that care about their privacy or something.”

Otabek shrugged. “Yuri, there isn’t much information about me available, because that information doesn’t exist.”

“What the hell does that mean,” Yuri challenged, “people don’t have information patterns like you do. Your patterns are the same as a fake or a bot.”

Otabek nodded his agreement and Yuri shoved him. “What do you think something stupid like you aren’t an actual person?”

Otabek didn’t say anything, because Yuri had said it for him. Yuri turned away from him and slammed a full-length mirror into the ground. He hissed before storming back to his room. Otabek rubbed his face. Maybe Yuri was hungry.

He wandered his way down to the kitchen and heard laughing. “Ekaterina I’m going to pop if I eat another bite. I’ve already gained five pounds because of your cooking.”

Otabek regarded Katsuki who was leaning against a counter talking to the woman stirring a very large pot. Makkachin rested at his feet chewing at a bone. “Dark Horse,” Katsuki greeted not looking in his direction, “come meet the best cook in Russia.”

She hit his arm not looking away from her cooking and he chuckled. Still, Otabek joined them. “Ekaterina this is the Dark Horse, Yurio’s new security.”

“Yura will kill you if he hears you call him that,” she warned.

Katsuki laughed, “maybe. I can’t help it. My sister started to call him that, after we were briefed about the Russian family, and it’s stuck.”

He motioned to the woman with his mug, “Dark Horse this is Ekaterina Talyzina our head chef, saint of Russian cuisine.”

“Viktor has been teaching you how to sweet talk hasn’t he,” she demanded.

She shoved some kind of pastry into Otabek’s mouth and he obediently ate it as Katsuki blushed. “Maybe?”

She laughed. “Go find your husband and leave me alone,” she ordered, “I need to explain Yura’s diet to this man.”

Katsuki smiled politely. “I’ll leave it to you then.”

He strolled off and Ekaterina shoved a spoon into Otabek’s hand and pointing at a pot. “Stir this,” she ordered, “now, Yura is allergic to strawberries, but if you aren’t careful he’ll try to eat them anyways. Two or three shouldn't kill him. ”

Otabek stirred as he listened and started to make a list of mental notes. Forty-five minutes later Otabek had a tray of food and he was knocking on Yuri’s door. Yuri opened his door and dragged him in. “Don’t knock. That’s stupid. If I don’t knock you don’t need to.”

Yuri took the tray and set it on a nightstand before trotting back to his shrine of computers. Otabek took one of the plates and set it in front of him as Yuri angrily screamed at someone on the phone. Otabek waited until Yuri started to pick at his food before he went back to his breakfast.

He pulled out his phone and sent Mila a text asking her when she wanted to leave. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Mila fluttered in. “Come on,” she whined tugging him out of the room, “I have two hours and so much shopping to do!”

“Make him buy shit while you are at it,” Yuri yelled as they left.

“Already my plan,” she called back.

“I had your favorite model shipped in last night,” Mila announced as they entered the garage.

She pulled two helmets off the wall and handed one to him. “Did you memorize the maps?” She asked.

Otabek snorted, yeah like he hadn’t done that by now? “Cool. Let’s go then.”

Mila had, in fact, made sure his favorite bike was available. It felt comforting to rev it up and peel out of the mansion grounds.

Despite Mila’s two-hour time limit, they stayed out for three having their purchases shipped back to the mansion. The shopping provided fruitful though. Otabek was acquainted with the streets, the buildings, and the people in a way that would have taken days in other cities.

Otabek returned to his room first to put two of the garage helmets in there. However, the room was different from when he had left. For starters, a piano was next to the door of the patio and a bookshelf was filled with CDs. Otabek made his way over to the piano and tested the keys.

Yuri trotted into the room. “Welcome back,” he greeted, “what took you so long?”

Otabek rolled his eyes as Yuri chuckled. Yuri pulled out his phone and started texting while Otabek played with the keys. “I didn’t know what music you actually like so I bought all the albums that artist put out that you have on your playlists on your phone, and then anyone related. Hopefully, we won’t be spending a ton of time in Russia, but this is home.”

“Where do you want to go,” Otabek asked.

“I liked the nightlife in Rio,” Yuri admitted, “way too many people getting in and out of trouble. Good for business. Switzerland is always fun, but Giacometti drives me up the wall, and he basically owns France. Now that the Piggy is out of Japan I can open a network there.”

“I wouldn’t think that the famous Ice Tiger of Russia would be afraid of Japan’s Ace,” Otabek noted.

“I’m not,” Yuri seethed.

Otabek let the subject drop and started to build up the music. “Before he became Japan’s Ace Katsuki was in the information business. His family was targeted by the Heir Wars as well, but he collected the proper information that kept the Yakuza safe. He also established his own network there. Unless you’re Japanese it’s impossible to set up a network there, but with the Piggy away the best information broker in Japan is Kenjirou Minami, who the Piggy trained. However, Minami’s network isn’t nearly as good, and some small fishes have started getting into the Japanese market. Now that they’ve made it, I can use them as an in.”

Well, he apparently didn’t know enough about the information market. Otabek hadn’t cared about anything except how to get a job and who would try to kill his charges. Anything else he knew was situational. “Tokyo has great clubs and lots of colors.”

Yuri’s eyes twinkled and he smiled. “Tokyo it is then,” he announced.

Then his phone rang and Yuri grunted answering it. He walked back towards his room and disappeared.

Otabek pulled out his own phone and pulled up the number for the best driver he had ever met. “Dark Horse! Hi.”

“Are you busy?” Otabek asked.

He heard gunshots in the background and the sound of tires squealing. “Not really. I’m on a casual run right now, but I can talk.”

Police sirens added to the background noise. “Bored,” Otabek asked.

“Well- uh.”

“You’re chatting on the phone during a high-speed chase with the police, and someone shooting at you,” Otabek pointed out.

“And there’s a bomb somewhere.”

“All that and the famous Red Transient is bored,” Otabek pushed.

“Why does the media have to give us weird names, why can’t they just use Guang Hong Ji? I was a driver for the president. It's not like it would be hard to find out my real name.”

“You defected because it was too easy,” Otabek noted.

“Well anyone would have defected,” Guang Hong protested.

Otabek felt a smile tug on his lips. “What do you want,” Guang Hong questioned.

“A driver.”

Guang Hong was silent for a couple of minutes. “Why would you need a driver? Don’t your clients usually have their own teams?”

“I just took a permanent contract.”

“Alright. I’m interested. Give me thirty minutes and I’ll call you back.”

The line went dead. Otabek put his phone in his pocket and then he walked over to the music shelf and started to look through it. His fingers brushed over the CDs and pulled one out. He found the stereo, put the CD in, and hit play before he went and laid down on his bed.

Exactly thirty minutes later Guang Hong called him back. Otabek picked up. “A year ago I got thrills when my high-speed chases got onto Instagram and Snapchat,” Guang Hong announced, “but it’s not the same anymore.”

Otabek never really understood the social media thing, but it had always been part of Guang Hong’s image. Guang Hong was a very public figure and his identity was very widely known. The reason that he had never been caught was that no one could catch him. He could drive anything better than anyone, and that caused problems for anyone trying to get him.

Yuri came back into Otabek’s room his phone still pressed against his ear and chatting in Czech. “What made you take a permanent contract? You don’t take permanent contracts,” Guang Hong questioned and went on anyway, not waiting for an answer, “and who would you sign with? This isn’t making much sense.”

Yuri climbed up onto the bed and Otabek opened up his free arm to him. “Yuri Plisetsky,” Otabek stated before more questions could come.

“Are you crazy? He’s killed all of his security team six-times,” Guang Hong exclaimed.

“Seven,” Yuri muttered curling into his chest.

Otabek snorted. “Right,” Otabek agreed, “more dangerous than the police, gunfire, a high-speed chase, and a bomb.”

Guang Hong sputtered for an objection. “Who else could survive being a driver for Yuri Plisetsky?” Otabek asked before he could find one.

“I don’t know. From his Instagram, he just looks like a deadly pretty boy,” Guang Hong objected.

Yuri snorted and rolled his eyes pulling the phone away from his ear and pulling up a few pictures on his phone. “I model for some clothes companies sometimes,” Yuri announced “it helps to explain our families wealth to the non-crime world,” he explained.

Otabek nodded. He hadn’t been aware Yuri had an Instagram. He would need to check that over for security breaches. “That’s not a good measure of who someone is, and what they do,” Otabek argued.

“Wait didn’t Plisetsky set fire to one of Christopher Giacometti’s winter cabin in Switzerland last year?”

Yuri growled, “he pissed me off,” he explained.

Otabek chuckled. “That escape was horrendously sloppy,” Guang Hong complained.

Yuri snatched the phone from Otabek. “Hey! You try getting out of one of the most heavily secured countries, in a snowstorm, in a helicopter with shitty controls, and running out of gas,” he screamed.

“I could do that no problem,” Guang Hong answered.

Yuri stared at the phone blinking. “Who are you,” he growled.

Otabek took his phone back. “Interested,” he asked.

Guang Hong didn’t say anything. “Come meet him and you’ll understand,” he encouraged.

“Where,” Guang Hong asked.

“The Nikiforov mansion in Saint Petersburg Russia,” Otabek answered.

“I’ll stop by sometime soon then, but I’m not making a commitment Dark Horse.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Otabek answered.

“Bye,” Guang Hong squeaked.

Then the line went dead. “Who was that,” Yuri demanded.

“Guang Hong Ji,” Otabek answered.

“The Red Transient,” Yuri repeated, “oh. He’s actually really good.”

Otabek nodded and Yuri flipped open his Instagram. They spent an hour looking through Guang Hong’s Instagram, which made Yuri laughed. Apparently, the chase scenes and explosions were funny to Yuri. “He’s voted to be one of the three most adorable criminals in Asia,” Yuri announced, “do you think it would be bad for business to see if he would model clothing?”

Otabek didn’t know the answer to that so he didn’t give one. “Having a known criminal might be problematic.”

Yuri and Otabek looked at Yuri's phone surprised to hear another voice from it. “Can we get back to our discussion now?”

Yuri and Otabek laughed and Yuri got up pulling the phone back to his ear. “Yeah, what were we talking about?”

“I was about to tell you that JJ just landed in Акушкі, Belarus an hour ago.”

Акушкі was a village on the border of Belarus and Russia. “How the hell did he get there,” Yuri screamed.

He jumped to his feet and threw the phone across the room. Yuri’s breath started to get heavy. “I need to get back to work,” he growled.

Otabek frowned and got up following him. “Yuri,” he asked.

Yuri stormed over to his work station and pulled out a new phone. Otabek put a hand on Yuri’s shoulder and the Russian man took in a deep breath turning to meet his eyes.

“JJ is trying to finish the job his Father started,” Yuri declared, “they’re trying to kill me.”


	7. Chapter 7

Yuri searched Otabek’s eyes, his entire world burning. He felt his whole body shaking. He couldn’t breathe. For a second there was nothing and he was slipping. He needed-

Then Yuri’s fire was met with Otabek’s ice and peace washed over him. “What do you need,” Otabek demanded.

Yuri felt himself settle and suddenly he could breathe again. “I need it to end,” he whispered.

Otabek nodded and Yuri turned back to his computers. Had he made a mistake coming back to Russia? The Ice Tiger Of Russia was technically still in Rio spending money and talking to clients, but what if someone had suspected that they were the same and he had run back to Russia?

JJ was too close. He picked up his phone and started to make calls to some people in Belarus' secret services. There was a very powerful mob boss in their country after all.

Yuri stopped his voice hoarse from screaming when he finished his calls. He wasn’t ready to kill JJ yet. Otabek handed him a glass of water. Yuri drank deeply and felt his mind clear some. “Let’s go out for a ride,” Otabek suggested.

Yuri looked back at his computers then looked back at Otabek. “Okay,” he agreed, stepping away might do him some good.

“Lunch first,” Otabek decided.

He turned and walked out. Yuri followed after him. From the hallway, he could see servants entering and exiting Otabek’s room, hands full of shopping bags. “Mila had fun I take it,” he asked.

Otabek shrugged. “We have matching outfits,” he announced sounding slightly amused and pleased.

“Of course you do,” Yuri grunted, “what else did you get.”

Otabek slowed down enough so that Yuri could walk pace with him. “Things you’ll like.”

Yuri watched Otabek’s smirk at him. This definitely counted as flirting. Yuri swatted at him. “Bold of you to assume I like anything.”

Otabek laughed dodging out of the way. Ekaterina was waiting for them in the kitchen. “Scrawny,” she complained smacking him with her spoon.

Yuri hissed and let her pinch at him. “What were you eating in Rio,” she demanded, shuffling around bringing plates and bowls down, “your new toy looks better fed than you.”

“He’s not a toy,” Yuri yelled.

“Yura I know your taste,” she chided not afraid of his bark, “he’s pretty, and smart, and will let you get away with everything.”

Yuri looked over at Otabek who was watching the conversation leaning against the wall. How was he not upset? She was talking about him like he wasn’t even there. “I don’t know if I like him” she continued “and don’t you try to play cute and pretend like I don’t know who he is. Everyone talks in the kitchen, that’s why you spend so much time here when you come. He won’t be able to keep up with you, and it’s a shame to kill such a sad young man. He’s wasted enough of his life, he doesn’t need to waste more of it trying to keep up with something that is to good for him.”

Yuri threw a plate on the ground to get her to stop. “Shut up,” he demanded, “he can make his own decisions without an old hag insulting him.”

He stomped his foot and smashed a bowl into the ground. “I’m not eating your food until you apologize!”

Then Yuri turned on his heel and stormed out of the room dragging Otabek behind him, by the sleeve of his leather jacket. Otabek followed easily. “Why aren’t you upset,” Yuri seethed, “she was insulting you and she was talking about you like you weren’t even there!”

“I’m staff, Yuri,” Otabek explained, “if I’m not being spoken to I’m not there.”

Yuri stopped and let go of Otabek’s arm. “You said you are going to be my friend,” he exclaimed, “so you’re more than just some stupid staff! How are you supposed to stay by my side if you can’t speak for yourself?”

Otabek brushed Yuri’s hair back with his knuckles. “I don’t care what people say,” Otabek told him “I’m choosing to be by your side.”

Yuri hissed jerking back. “If you disappear you let them win,” he declared.

Still, his nerves settled. Otabek wanted to be with him for whatever reason that was. Yuri made his way into the garage and found the helmets he had ordered. He pulled down a purple leopard print and pointed towards the cabinet. “We can eat out,” he declared, “pick a helmet.”

Otabek peered over his shoulder his eyes scanning the shelf and Yuri swayed back slightly just so he could feel Otabek’s chest across his back. It was reassuring. Otabek grabbed the helmet with bear claws and clipped it onto his head.

Yuri took a steadying breath. Otabek was a fully developed human being, full of likes, dislikes, and emotions. He just had to bring it out of him. He would get Otabek to take pride in that. “Where do you want to go,” Otabek asked.

Yuri passed him the GPS location and Otabek studied it for a moment before passing it back. “Alright,” he agreed.

They got on the bike and Otabek sped off with Yuri hanging tighter against his waist then he probably needed to. From the teasing smile on Otabek’s face it was definitely tighter then he needed to. Though they both knew it wasn’t fear that made Yuri hold tight to Otabek.

They made their way into the restaurant arms brushing against each other. They were seated immediately a scared glance from the staff looking at the small Russian, and they scampered off. Yuri watched Otabek’s eyebrow lift in question. “There might have been an incident with a bowl of soup and a knife,” Yuri admitted.

“Sounds like a story,” Otabek noted.

Yuri felt a small smile press against his lips. “Maybe,” he agreed, “if you ask nicely I might just tell it to you.”

Yuri felt light and airy, teasing Otabek was easy, casual, fun. It made him feel good. Otabek met his eyes. “Please Yura,” Otabek requested his voice smooth and husky, but his eyes twinkled playfully.

A waiter scurried over handing them two menus. “What’s good here,” Otabek asked as the waiter dodged away.

Yuri looked around, the restaurant was one of his favorites. It had a small cozy vibe with smooth wooden fixtures, low lighting, and tacky decor. “I come for their pirozhki. They remind me of my Grandpa’s, not nearly as good, but good enough. But their kasha and chicken kiev is really good.”

Otabek smiled back at him. “Pirozhki it is then,” he announced.

For whatever reason Yuri felt heat in his cheeks and kicked the leg of Otabek’s chair. “Don’t copy me,” he snarled trying to hide his pleasure and the worry that settled in his stomach.

Was Otabek copying him to flirt, or did he have trouble finding things he liked? No that wasn’t true, Yuri reminded himself. Otabek showed that he knew what he liked plenty enough having taken into consideration when he had chosen his helmet. Yuri knew Otabek had taste in music and even clothing, but from the things Otabek said sometimes it worried him.

Still, Otabek’s eyes kept twinkling. Yuri stuck his tongue out at him and gave the chair leg a final kick before settling back down. The staff brought two large bowls of soup and a giant plate of pirozhkis. They took the menus without asking for their order and stepped away. Yuri grinned as Otabek looked surprised. “They like me,” Yuri admitted, “the staff likes to pretend that they are afraid of me, but they like their Christmas presents too much to actually be afraid. This is the first restaurant I came to when I moved to Saint Petersburg and the first place I went to other than home after Project JLax.”

It was weird sharing something like that with anyone else. Everyone in Russia knew what he was telling Otabek, so he never had to explain anything even if he wanted to. It was nice. “What about you,” Yuri asked, “got a favorite food place?”

Otabek shook his head no. “That’s stupid,” Yuri complained, “we have to fix that too.”

“America has the best restaurants,” Otabek noted, “Leo likes to go out so we went to a lot of restaurants there.”

Yuri felt some relief. “Have you ever eaten at the same place twice?”

They began eating and Otabek thought for a while. “Not that I can remember,” he admitted.

That was it. Otabek just hadn’t been in the same place long enough to find a favorite. Yuri could fix that. With any luck, they would be in Russia for a while. With any luck, they would be leaving soon. Yuri titched, “gross that’s just grease. Luckily for you, I know the best restaurants in the world.”

Strangely enough, Otabek didn’t look confused or offended. Instead, he seemed to understand that Yuri was teasing. Most people couldn’t tell if he was teasing or if he was just trying to piss someone off. Yuri knew that Otabek could tell the difference. He knew the difference and would be able to rise to meet his challenges.

When they finished their lunch Yuri gave the waiter a very generous tip. “So where are we driving to,” Yuri asked as he skipped towards the bike.

Otabek strolled behind at a slower pace and Yuri glanced back at him in order to watch how the sunlight played off his hair and lighted up his nightingale colored eyes. He was gorgeous, “if you ask nicely I just might tell you,” and a goddamn tease.

Yuri felt a laugh escape his lips and let it flow out freely. He threw himself against the other man, who gently caught him and pulled him over his shoulder. “Well, now I can’t tell you,” Otabek informed him, “that wasn’t very nice.”

Otabek kept strolling down the street and Yuri let himself hang limply enjoying the strong arm wrapped around him. “How much do you bench,” he asked as Otabek set him down by the motorcycle, “you have to be pretty close to what Mila can do.”

“We have a competition once a year,” Otabek shrugged throwing his leg over the bike handing Yuri his helmet.

Yuri tried to decide if Otabek was telling the truth or not. “Really,” he asked when he couldn’t determine it.

“Find out yourself,” Otabek challenged.

Yuri felt his body zing with excitement. It was rare that he had anything to find that tested his limits. Otabek was a mystery and there wasn’t the information out there to look through. Yuri got on the bike behind Otabek. Otabek twisted around and gently clipped the straps together. Yuri’s hair strung out from all sides of the helmet and Otabek tucked them back. “We’ll braid your hair back the next time we go out,” he promised.

The idea of Otabek’s fingers threading through his hair made Yuri shiver. Otabek smirked and turned back around. The motorcycle purred to life and Yuri wrapped his arms around Otabek and they shot off. Otabek took them through Saint Petersburg. They went past all the famous landmarks and then past the beaches. Yuri lost time as they rode. It was a view he had never seen before and it took him by surprise how pretty it was.

Eventually, as the sun set Otabek parked at one of the beaches. As they walked across the sand together joking and bumping shoulders. Once they found someplace private they sat down and Yuri flopped himself down in Otabek’s lap. “Thank you for distracting me today,” Yuri grumbled as they watched the sunset.

Otabek laughed and didn’t feign innocence. “My pleasure,” he agreed, wrapping his arms around Yuri’s waist.

Yuri drifted off to sleep. He woke up again still in Otabek’s arms but they weren’t at the beach anymore. Instead, they were laying in his own bed. Otabek was awake looking out the windows of Yuri’s room. They were large shiny like crystals with an amazing view. But Yuri thought the better view was Otabek’s skin shining in the morning light with Potya curled up against his chest.

“Rude cat,” Yuri pouted.

Otabek chuckled and Potya swished her tail in Yuri’s face before climbing onto his lap instead. Yuri happily took her spot on Otabek’s chest and closed his eyes again. “How’d I get here,” he asked.

“You fell asleep on the beach,” Otabek explained, “I called a car and brought you home.”

Yuri snorted. “I’m not a heavy sleeper like that,” he protested.

“Must have been tired then,” Otabek shrugged.

They laid in silence and Otabek trailed his fingers gently over Yuri’s shoulder blades. “Is this okay?” He asked.

“What,” Yuri questioned.

“Assuming,” Otabek answered motioning between them.

“If you aren’t sleeping beside me,” Yuri growled, “we have a problem.”

Otabek chuckled and went back to stroking his hair. Yuri knew that this was strange. A strange thing for just friends to do or even a bodyguard, but he didn’t care. It felt good. It felt right. So he didn’t dwell on that, the rightness of it. “Are you going to kiss me?” Yuri asked Otabek glancing down at the other man’s lips, but not feeling any urgency.

Otabek nodded but didn’t move. “Yes, but not yet.”

Yuri let himself bask in Otabek’s warm arms and the warmth in his answer. “Why not now,” he questioned propping himself up on an elbow.

Otabek grunted, but let Yuri do as he pleased. “Not ready to,” Otabek muttered chasing Yuri’s hair with his hand to keep stroking it, “we haven’t known each other for four days Yuri.”

Yuri laughed. “You can pledge your life to mine, and decide to enter a lifetime contract with me in within twenty hours, but a kiss is going to fast?”

In this life kissing upon meeting might be considered taking it too slow. Who knew how long you would live for? So it was important not to waste any time. Something about Otabek made Yuri want to take things slow and enjoy himself. Enjoy the man laying in bed with him.

“I’ve never given someone something like that before,” Otabek admitted.

It broke Yuri’s heart when Otabek talked like that. He knew Otabek was in the security business and risked his life for his clients, which was standard for the industry, but it was another thing to swear your life long allegiance to someone and then to have that contract broken. The worst part though was that Otabek found all of that easy to give again. The hard part for him though was giving up a kiss. Something so simple in their world and so hard for the man before him.

“Don’t rush,” Yuri coaxed, “I’ll wait, but only until you are ready.”

Otabek chuckled. They lazed in bed for a while until one of Yuri’s phones started going off again. Yuri sighed and picked it up. “He retreated back to Slovakia.”

Yuri felt his body shudder with relief and Otabek wrapped his arms tightly around Yuri. “Thank you,” Yuri breathed.

He hung up the phone and sat up pulling Potya into his arms getting out of bed. He returned to his computers and checked his business. He felt more at ease and clear from his panic from yesterday.

Strong hands wrapped around his shoulders and Otabek’s breath tickled in his hair. “I’ll go get breakfast,” he muttered.

“No,” Yuri snapped, “I’m not eating her food until she apologizes!”

“She doesn’t need to-”

“She does,” Yuri interrupted, “I won’t allow anyone to disrespect you.”

“Thank you, Yuri,” Otabek whispered.

Yuri leaned back without looking away from his screens and grabbed Otabek’s hand squeezing it. “I guess I’ll have to go make us breakfast then,” Otabek chuckled after he squeezed back.

Yuri kept hold of his hand as Otabek tried to pull away. “Go take a shower and get dressed,” Yuri suggested, “I need to finish something here, but then I’ll make you breakfast.”

“You can cook,” Otabek teased.

Yuri growled and rolled his eyes. “Go shower.”

Yuri released his hand and turned back to his work. Otabek ruffled his hair and walked back into his room. Gritting his teeth Yuri felt a bit of annoyance shiver through his back. The idea of Otabek having a separate living space that would make him leave Yuri’s territory made him annoyed. He would fix that when they weren’t in Viktor’s house.

Instead of giving in to his desire to drag Otabek back into his room and his shower, Yuri brought his full attention to his work. The problem he had was that destroying JJ was a long process. He had been working for years. JJ was well protected and his family would go after his killer with a vengeance. He had nine damn siblings and more cousins than one could count. Yuri had to make sure the Canadian empire crumbled before he could kill him. A process he needed his finances for. But to work on that he needed to find out who had tracked him in Rio and kill them first, or at the very least block them from finding his information.

A plan started to form in his mind to draw them out, but Viktor wouldn’t like it if he left so soon after coming home. He needed a reason to get out of Russia and the manor. By the time he had chased down a few dead ends, Otabek was playing with his hair again tugging at the blond strands. Yuri leaned into his touch and let Otabek pull him away from his work.

“Breakfast,” Otabek ordered.

Yuri’s stomach rumbled so he allowed Otabek to manhandle him, which was hot, and nudge him out of the room. He led Otabek to one of the smaller kitchens and sat him down at the counter while he shuffled around getting the ingredients to make pancakes.

The pancakes ended up burnt as Otabek and Yuri got caught up throwing blueberries at each other and laughing until their sides hurt. They ignored the smell of burning pancakes as they fed each other blueberries.

Then the house alarm went off and Otabek jerked to attention. Yuri watched the beautiful man ghost to his feet and pull out his gun while pulling Yuri to his feet at the same time. The intercom crackled. “Good morning,” Viktor greeted, “Yura can you come to the front hall? You have a guest.”

The intercom fizzled out and the pair shared a glance. Otabek quirked his eyebrow up asking Yuri what he wanted to do. Yuri sighed. “If we don’t go he’ll come get us,” Yuri grumbled.

“Breakfast later then,” Otabek decided and motioned for Yuri to follow him as the alarm went silent.

Otabek didn’t put away his gun, but he relaxed as he let Yuri point him in the right direction. When they arrived the first thing they saw was Viktor leaning against a marble column filing his nails. He looked up at them, his bored look behind replace by a smile and a hard look in his eyes.

“Oh good you’re here,” Viktor cheered, “now why don’t you explain why our intruder said he came on your invitation?”

He pointed the nail file across the room and past the circle of armed guards pointing guns. Yuuri Katsuki had a knife pressed under the chin of the sweet-faced man by his side.

It was a face way too sweet for the cigarette dangling between his lips and the gun pressed into Katsuki’s side. “Well, this is exciting Dark Horse,” Guang Hong Ji greeted. 


	8. Chapter 8

Beside him, Otabek felt Yuri laugh. “He’s here to discuss a contract as my driver, but I don’t think we were expecting him so soon.” 

Guang Hong shrugged. “I got bored. Then decided to have a high-speed chase to Russia.” 

“What were you driving,” Yuri inquired taking a step forward. 

Otabek grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The standoff wasn’t over yet. “What happened then?" 

“He crashed through the gates and walked up to the front steps,” Mila announced slithering in. 

“Then Yuuri snuck up on him and here we are.” 

“What’s wrong with our drivers,” Viktor pouted, “I thought you liked Gus, Yura.” 

A Russian driver under the rule of the Pakhan didn’t work. Otabek knew that. Knew Yuri knew that. “I can’t take your drivers international,” Yuri complained, “fine in Russia, but useless anywhere else.”

“Okay, but why him,” Viktor whined, “the Red Traniest is crazy.” 

“I’m assuming that’s the point,” Yuri purred. 

The room looked at Otabek. “It doesn’t matter,” Yuri waved off the attention, “I'm not interested in him anymore.” 

Everyone jolted again with surprise, and the circle of guns lowered. Otabek wanted to rub his face but resisted the urge. Guang Hong twitched with annoyance. “Why,” Mila asked. 

“He got caught.” 

Guang Hong threw his cigarette on the ground. “Did you miss the part where I got my gun on Yuuri Katsuki. I got through the front gate, undetected, the front doors, and got here out of my car before anyone caught up to me.” 

Yuri hummed. “Guang Hong is not an expert of moving and not getting caught on his own two feet,” Otabek added hoping to sooth the situation before it got worse. 

“Fine,” Yuri huffed, “I’ll give him a trial run and if he continues to be unimpressive I’ll kill him.” 

“Yura!” Viktor warned, “no killing for you.” 

Yuri hissed at his brother. “I’ll find someone else to kill him.” 

He stalked out of the room. Otabek flicked his eyes over to Guang Hong’s. The other man’s eyes burned with frustration, passion, and determination. Otabek motioned for him to lower the gun and Guang Hong obeyed. 

Once the gun was away from his side Katsuki was halfway back to Viktor before any of them could blink. Otabek motioned again to Guang Hong and he stumbled over to his side. Yuri wasn’t going to be impressed by him on land at all. Guang Hong needed some wheels under him. 

“The entire wing is Yuri’s,” Viktor announced his hands furrowed in Katsuki’s hair, “Guang Hong may stay in one of the guest rooms for now. I expect a formal introduction if Yura decides to keep him.”

Otabek nodded. The security started to disperse and Katsuki tugged on Viktor’s sleeve down the hall. “Don’t be too loud,” Mila yelled after the couple. 

Yuuri and Viktor paid her no mind. Mila smiled at them approaching softly before she slapped Guang Hong across the face and kicked him to the ground. “Next time you draw a gun on a person under the Pakhan’s protection I will kill you,” she snarled as she left. 

Guang Hong groaned, but then laughed. “I’ll make a better second impression” he declared pushing himself up to his feet. 

“Hopefully you’ll be behind a wheel,” Otabek answered. 

He started to walk away leaving Guang Hong to stumble after. He glanced at the rooms next to Yuri’s and put Guang Hong at the one at the end of the hall. The driver needed to be closest to the cars after all. “Here,” Otabek offered, “sleep and shower. Things might go better in the morning.”

“Otabek,” Guang Hong declared a hard look of determination on his face, “I won’t fail.” 

Then he disappeared into the room with a soft click of the door. Otabek continued down the hall to rejoin Yuri. The introduction between Yuri and Guang Hong went off about as well as he could have hoped for. 

The fact that Yuri had tried to reject Guang Hong didn’t really surprise or worry Otabek. He had been more concerned with getting Guang Hong to agree to work with them. He was great at what he did, but he lacked the focus to keep him from getting bored, and the force to drive his passion. However, Yuri’s refusal and dismissal seemed to spark Guang Hong. 

Now all that had to be done was to show Yuri that Guang Hong was competent and the best in his field. Which would work itself out. Yuri already agreed to give Guang Hong a trial run. 

Otabek strolled into his room and crossed through the doorway connecting his room to Yuri’s. Yuri was watching the security feed from an hour ago. “He has good reflexes,” Yuri admitted as he watched Guang Hong pull his gun on Katsuki. 

Otabek didn’t answer that pulling a chair beside him watching the security replay. Yuri slumped and ran a hand through his hair. “We’re leaving in two days,” he announced.

A few days ago Yuri had fled to Russia after his bodyguards attempted to kill him and he realized that his accounts were being watched. Now a few days later he announced his plan to leave again. If it was anyone else Otabek would have suggested that he stayed at home for the time being, but Yuri was different. 

He waited for Yuri to tell him the details. It was a while before Yuri decided to explain. “If those who are following my account are looking to kill Yuri Plisetsky then if I draw them out they’ll try to kill me. If they are keeping track of the Ice Tiger’s finances then they will follow where his money is.” 

Otabek understood immediately what Yuri wanted to do. “The Ice Tiger of Russia is going to push money at Yuri Plisetsky so that if they are after the Ice Tiger they will come and steal Yuri Plisetsky. If they are looking for Yuri Plisetsky who just lost his security then you would be vulnerable to attack and it would be the perfect opportunity to pick you off. Either way, if you survive you might be able to capture the person after you, and you can use them to get information.” 

Yuri’s face lit up into a smile. Surprise and joy filled his eyes. Otabek wasn’t sure if he should be insulted by the fact that Yuri didn’t think that Otabek could keep up with his thought process, or satisfied that he impressed Yuri like this. “You’re not going to tell me not to do it,” Yuri demanded the smile fading. 

“My job is to keep you safe. Not to tell you what to do,” Otabek answered, “we’ll need to discuss the details.” 

Yuri’s smile returned. “You keep surprising me,” Yuri confessed. 

Otabek hadn’t been ready to hear that. He had never expected to hear anything like that. There wasn’t anything about him to surprise anyone. All Otabek had ever done was his job. It was all he had ever known and he took pride in the fact that he was the best at it. He had worked hard to earn that title. But Otabek also worked hard to never let anyone know what he was thinking or do anything outrageous. 

Yuri’s smile slipped. “Are you okay,” he asked reaching forward like he wanted to touch Otabek, but thought differently. 

Otabek shrugged and looked away from him. Yuri lunged forward and yanked Otabek forward by the front of his shirt. “Don’t lie to me asshole,” he yelled, “if you don’t want to tell me what’s wrong then say so!”

“I’m not surprising.” 

Yuri let go of his shirt and blinked in confusion. “What,” he demanded, “what the hell does that mean? Of course, you are. What kind of bodyguard lets their charge bait the people who want to kill him. You don’t take permanent contracts and then you make one with me. You are known for your stoic emotionless nature and you let me see it all, you share things with me. How is that not surprising?” 

Yuri was right, but only because it was him. Yuri made Otabek feel different than any other person did. It had been years since Otabek had wanted anything, but just seeing Yuri made him want to keep Yuri safe and happy. No one else had affected him like this and he didn’t think anyone else would. 

Otabek looked down to where Yuri had decided to grasp their hands together. “I don’t know what you feel Otabek, but I want to make you realize that you are more than you think. You might be the best at your job, but that’s not even one of the best things about you.” 

Otabek was at a loss for words. Thankfully Yuri didn’t seem to be expecting any. “Yuri Plisetsky is going to South Korea in two days for a photo shoot, and to meet sponsors. He’ll be in contact with a very generous sponsor during his time there.” 

The plan that Yuri had come up with was risky, with no certainty that the other party would show up or even if they succeed and caught the would-be assassin/kidnapper that they would know anything. Still, it was good, and the best chance they had. They dug into making arrangements and preparations. At noon the door to Yuri’s room popped open and Yuri threw a knife at it without looking up. “I’m not eating that!" 

Otabek watched Ekaterina step into the room a tray of food in her hands a throwing knife standing in the wood. It reminded Otabek that their attempt at breakfast had failed. She set the tray on one of the side tables and met Otabek’s eyes. “Please forgive my rudeness,” she apologized, “Yura is very dear to us here, and he doesn’t bring visitors he plans to keep. I was quick to judge you and I was wrong.” 

The desire to please and care for Yuri was obvious in the woman’s eyes, but so was her honesty. Yuri made a tch sound but said nothing else. “Thank you Ekaterina,” he answered, “I’ll take good care of him.”

She nodded looking over the pair. “I see that now. Please take care of him when we can not,” she requested. 

Otabek nodded and stood taking the tray from the table and brought it over to Yuri. He glanced at the tray and stole a biscuit from it with a hiss. Otabek smiled and turned back to Ekaterina and walked her to the door. “You saw our attempt at breakfast,” he guessed. 

“I saw Yura laughing,” she answered, “anyone who can make him happy is welcome in my kitchen.” 

Otabek let her lead him down the hallway. “He says he can cook,” Otabek pointed out. 

She sighed. “He can. His Grandfather in Moscow isn’t nearly as extravagant as the Nikiforov’s. He taught Yuri how to do everything, cooking and cleaning, and his cousins there were in charge of manners, customs, and the beginnings of his training.”

“Are they still alive, the cousins I mean,” Otabek questioned. 

“Yes,” Ekaterina responded, “but Yura doesn’t like to talk about them. He doesn’t mention that side of the family. It upsets him to talk about it.”

She gave him a curt glance. “Do you know why-”

Otabek stopped her talking with a gentle touch of his hand. “Ekaterina I think these are things that I should hear from Yuri.” 

Ekaterina gave him an approving smile. “But you will gossip with me,” she demanded. 

“I’ll steal your food."

She swatted his arm. “Same thing. Now let me tell you about-”

Otabek spent the rest of the day in the kitchen listening to Ekaterina and the rest of the house staff as they traded information and favors. It was valuable. Yuri needed the time to set his plan together and Otabek needed time to sort out their conversation. 

As dinner was being prepared Guang Hong arrived in the kitchen looking slightly grungy. “Please tell me we aren’t having hot pot."

“You’re in Russia,” Otabek reminded him while Ekaterina snorted in disgust. 

“Great,” Guang Hong exclaimed, “what are we eating?” 

After dinner was finished being cooked Guang Hong and Otabek each took a tray and made their way to Yuri’s bedroom. Yuri was yelling into his phone, which didn’t surprise Otabek, but he hung up as soon as he saw them walk in. “I’m starving,” he declared and glanced at Guang Hong, “how much experience do you have in modeling?”

They made arrangements around the table and started to eat. “I’ve modeled things for social media, but that was just me by myself. I’ve never done anything with a studio or professionals or anything."

“Want to,” Yuri offered. 

Otabek set down his fork. “Weren’t you told that associating your brand with a known criminal was a bad idea.”

“Sure it is,” Yuri agreed, “but I don’t really have a good reputation either.” 

He flashed a set of red painted claws, that Otabek knew had been used to kill before. The green eyes sparkled and Otabek wanted to reach over and pull him into his arms. Guang Hong frowned at the flashing red and he looked around the bedroom. “Hey, what do you do besides model?”

His eyes fell to the computer screens and he let out a soft breath. “Wow. Thanks. Now I owe Leo money,” he complained glumly. 

“Why,” Yuri asked. 

“Because he told me I wouldn’t believe the identity of the Ice Tiger of Russia and I said I wouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore. I was wrong.” 

Yuri laughed and Otabek chuckled. “Why are we talking about modeling?” 

Otabek settled down to listen to the story again and laugh at Guang Hong’s reactions. It was as good as he expected it to be. Guang Hong settled into planning better than Otabek had hoped and the three of them worked like a well-oiled machine. “Wait how do you plan to extract the information," Guang Hong asked, “it’s not like you can torture them.” 

“I’m good at torture,” Yuri spat. 

“Not happening,” Otabek interjected. 

Yuri pouted. “I’ll handle it,” Otabek answered Guang Hong. 

“I didn’t know you tortured people” Guang Hong argued. 

Otabek shrugged. “I can.” 

He wasn’t going to though. There was a person in Korea he would need to visit when they got there, but he wasn’t going to let Yuri or Guang Hong know that yet. Guang Hong yawned looking disturbed by Otabek’s answer. 

“Well I think I’m going to go sleep again,” he declared, “if we’re leaving soon I’ll need it.” 

He left taking the dishes with him. Yuri finished with his computers and disappeared into his bathroom. Otabek beat him to the bed and Potya jumped onto his lap. He gave the cat some gentle love and Yuri glared at the cat when he came out of the bathroom. “My cat likes you and that’s annoying. I’m the only one she is supposed to like.” 

Otabek opened his arms to Yuri who quickly climbed into bed and transferred Potya into his lap. Their fingers intertwined and Otabek pushed his head into Yuri’s back. “In this life, we have to learn to judge a person upon sight. When I saw you standing in my apartment I knew that you were the one I could trust.”

And he had known that Yuri was the one he wanted to protect. Otabek tightened his hold on him. “I’m never going to leave you Yuri,” he promised. 

“Everyone leaves,” Yuri argued, “or they send me away. My parents died, Yakov died and Lillia left, I left my mother’s family, Viktor sent me away, and now I don’t have a home anymore. I can’t settle down or else JJ will find a way to kill me, so I can’t build a family.” 

Otabek felt his jaw lock. He would make it safe for Yuri, and he would create a home for him as well. Instead of saying any of that Otabek tickled him. Yuri squealed and they wrestled for a moment before they settled against each other. “We’ll need to plan how to escape Russia tomorrow. Viktor won’t like it that I’m leaving.”

“You can call for an airplane a few hours away and Guang Hong can drive us out there,” Otabek reminded him. 

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief. “Right. I'm not used to working with people.” 

“You’ll get better.” 

“I will,” Yuri snarled in agreement and dropped soundlessly into sleep. 

Otabek laid in thought for a while before he drifted off as well. 

Instead of restful sleep, Otabek opened his eyes into a dream. He was sitting on a banister in a great castle next to a younger version of himself. They watched the family strolling across the yard. The boy trotting beside the man and woman could have been Otabek’s clone, but they didn’t share any blood. It was the purpose of his life to serve as a double for the young heir to Kazakhstan’s military power. The family had made more enemies then one could count, but Otabek had counted them anyways. They needed a way to keep their precious son safe. 

The younger Otabek let out a sniffle and he turned his head down to look at the crying boy. He braced himself for what was coming next and watched a hand grab the boy and yank him onto the ground. For a moment confusion laughed at him while someone screamed in his ear and pain radiated throughout his back. Then it was quiet again as the young boy fought older, and stronger opponents until his knuckles bled. Until someone managed to knock him out. 

Otabek fought against the bonds that tied him to a chair. He was waiting. The man before him started to pull out his nails with pliers and he screamed with pain. Otabek looked down at the pliers in his hand and the nail between them. “Stop,” he ordered hearing the screams, “it does not matter. You are nothing.” 

Again and again, he yanked out his own nails having no concept of who he was, the man or the boy, but it didn’t really matter. Neither of them existed at all. They ended up on the floor to a cell. “Welcome home.” 

The door closed and Otabek dragged himself over to the bed with the younger version of himself clinging against him. He started to count their heartbeats. The dream was almost done. He knew that. Knew that the worst was still to come, but it promised to be over. He saw himself bleeding a gun pressed against his head the finger on the trigger. “Mutt,” someone hissed. 

“Beka!” 

Otabek’s arm shot out before he could stop himself. He rolled so he was on top of his attacker. Looking down at his hands wrapped around the neck, he realized that the neck was attached to Yuri’s body. “Yura?” 

His heart pounding and tears leaking down his cheeks he relaxed his hold. 

“Beka,” Yuri cooed reaching out and cupping Otabek’s cheek despite the fact that his hands were still wrapped around Yuri’s neck. 

“You had a bad dream,” Yuri explained as Otabek sat up releasing his neck, “it’s okay, go back to sleep. We can talk about it in the morning.” 

Yuri shifted them so that he could spoon and hold Otabek. Otabek let the adrenaline crash and drifted back to sleep with Yuri’s soothing words in his ears.


	9. Chapter 9

It hadn’t surprised Yuri when he discovered Otabek having a nightmare. It was more surprising that this was the first time either of them had had a nightmare in the presence of each other. He knew that he had consistent reoccurring nightmares and it only made sense that Otabek did as well.

Yuri buried his face into the back of Otabek’s neck whispering all the things he had wished someone had said to him when he had first started to get nightmares like these.

Waking up to see Otabek frozen in a silent scream, not moving a muscle or making a sound. Otabek had so far been a very restful sleeper light snoring and slight adjusting aside. Yuri had needed to see the pain in Otabek’s face end and had woken him up. It was a very dangerous thing to do and he was glad Otabek hadn’t reached for one of the guns under their pillows.

It hadn’t scared Yuri to be under Otabek like that with Otabek’s hands wrapped around his throat. Yuri knew he had nothing to worry about. It was just Otabek. In some ways, it was thrilling to trust another person so much. And having Otabek hovering above him made him feel even better. Yuri suspected that in a different situation they would both enjoy the position.

Now that Otabek had drifted back into peaceful sleep Yuri felt relaxed again. He had never let anyone sleep in his bed before and he certainly didn’t do cuddling, but Otabek felt right. He felt like he would tear off his skin if Otabek wasn’t sleeping beside him.

When Yuri had walked out of the bathroom that night to find Potya curled up with Otabek his heart had stopped. The scene had been domestic and pulled at Yuri’s heartstrings, a part of himself he hadn't known he had. It was then that he realized that he would never survive without Otabek. That he needed the glorious man in his bed and his life. And that hadn’t been a scary thought at all.

Yuri let Otabek’s breath lull him into sleep as he wrapped his arms tighter around the other man.

In the morning Yuri woke up alone with Otabek’s side of the bed cold. He moaned in complaint and rolled over. He found a note on Otabek’s side of the bed.

_Went to work out with Mila, be back soon._

Yuri sighed and stretched out his heart fluttering. Otabek had left a note for him. It brought a smile to Yuri’s face as he let his senses rejoin the living world.

He heard the gentle lull of the piano in Otabek’s room and had a strong desire to join him. There was a fresh pot of coffee on the bedside table so he poured two cups and pulled on his bathrobe before he went into the other room.

To his displeasure, Otabek wasn’t alone. Viktor and Katsuki were sitting on one of the couches listening to Otabek play. He was impressed, however, that Viktor had stayed away from them this long.

“Get out,” he hissed.

Viktor laughed. “Good morning Kitten,” he greeted.

Yuri set down one of the coffees next to Otabek who didn’t look up at him. “Go to hell Viktor,” Yuri complained without any malice.

“Awh, don’t be mean Yurio,” Viktor chided.

“What did you just call me? That’s not my name!”

Viktor laughed. “Yuuri’s sister, Mari, calls you that so no one gets confused about which Yuri we are talking about. Isn’t it cute?”

“No it’s not cute,” Yuri yelled stamping his foot, “don’t call me that!”

“I think it’s cute Yurio,” Katsuki teased.

Yuri wanted to stab them. “What are you doing here,” he demanded giving up the argument for now and taking a seat across from them as Otabek continued to play.

“Yuuri ran into Otabek at the gym,” Viktor started to answer.

Yuri turned his head to glance at Otabek. He knew that the Japanese man made Otabek uncomfortable and it didn’t sit well for him. Otabek gave him a nod to tell him that he was alright. “Then we had some breakfast together when I came to look for my Yuuri,” Viktor prattled on, “and Otabek invited us back here to keep chatting and when I saw the piano I asked him if he would play for us!”

“He’s very good. Lilia would love it. He’ll have to play for her when you go visit her next.”

Yuri bit his lip. He loved Lilia and hated visiting her. It reminded him of Yakov’s death, but he always made an effort to go see her anyways, just for a few days.

“He can decide what he wants to do,” Yuri declared.

“It would be an honor to play for Madam Baranovskaya,” Otabek put in.

Viktor clapped his hands in joy. “Anyways, let's go get manicures!”

Yuri glared at his brother. Viktor knew that he loved manicures. “What do you want,” he demanded.

His eyes flickered between Katsuki and Viktor. “Can’t I just want to spend some alone time with my little brother?”

Yuri gave him an annoyed look and Viktor relented his face twisting in anger. “The Red Transient must die. He broke into our home and attacked my husband.”

Yuri growled. “The fool came on an invitation from me and the Piggy attacked first.”

“He has no loyalties to Russia or the Family. I can’t allow someone like that to get past our security and live.”

Well shit. “Otabek get me, Guang Hong.”

The music stopped in that second and Otabek silently departed from the room. Katsuki and Viktor gave Yuri curious glances as he tapped his phone. He ignored them and waited.

When Otabek strolled back in with a stumbling groggy Guang Hong by his side he flicked his hand to the printer in the corner of the room. Otabek went that direction while Guang Hong collapsed on a chair near Yuri his eyes growing sharp and alert as soon as he was off his feet.

“What’s this,” he asked Yuri his eyes correctly assessing that the Pakhan and his husband were the danger, but Yuri was in charge for now.

Yuri didn’t bother explaining the situation. If Guang Hong knew his life was in danger then Viktor wouldn’t be satisfied. “Do you want to enter a full-time contract with me,” Yuri demanded.

Otabek stopped by Yuri’s side passing him the papers. Guang Hong’s eyes fluttered between the pair. “Yes."

Yuri set down the papers on the coffee table with a pen. “Then sign these now or you will not be able to.”

Guang Hong didn’t hesitate or even look at the information before he signed. The man was confused but determined. Yuri hated this but he knew he could just get someone to kill the man if he decided he didn’t want him anymore. The contract warned Guang Hong of that...if he had read it.

Viktor’s eyes shone with fury and pride. He hated to be bested, but he always loved when Yuri succeded in something. When he showed his abilities. What would have made him one of the best Pakhans in history. He had heard it all his life.

Guang Hong remained silent. Viktor stood brushing non-existent dust off his pants and he met Guang Hong’s eyes. “You are very lucky, Red Transient, my Yura doesn’t often stir himself to spare someone from death. I would suggest you don’t forget that gift.”

Viktor started to walk out of the room. “I’ll see you for manicures at two Yura,” he yelled back happily.

Katsuki stood. “Thank you Yurio. I’m glad you were able to prevent this. I dislike it when Viktor kills people over misunderstandings, but you understand the position he is in.”

Yuri gave a curt nod and Katsuki left the room. Otabek followed behind and shut the door. Guang Hong melted onto the floor. “So what was that,” he asked.

“Viktor was going to kill you for getting past our security and pulling a gun on Katsuki. You’re no friend to Russia and none to the family. Viktor couldn’t let you live. The Bratva might have hired you at one point for what you did, but we don’t have those luxuries anymore. You are lucky I don’t want you dead yet. Signing the contract gave you an alliance to the family.”

Guang Hong blinked. A life debt was a big deal in their world. “Thank you,” Guang Hong muttered.

Yuri snorted. “Fail me and I will kill you."

“Yuri,” Otabek scolded.

Yuri threw his hands into the air. “I know,” he spat, “but I will hire someone to kill you doesn’t sound threatening!”

Guang Hong started to laugh and Otabek chuckled while Yuri seethed. It was relief of building tension and for that Yuri didn’t make a bigger fuss out of it.

He shook his head and pushed the contract back to Guang Hong. “Now let’s discuss the contract you just signed without reading, you idiot."

Guang Hong gave a small blush of embarrassment and listened attentively to Yuri. It wasn’t that different from the contract Otabek had signed and offered Guang Hong the same outs. Otabek was watching them with clear eyes and a content look on his face while he was still attentive to watching the door. Yuri wanted to go to him and curl around him but refrained. Business always went before pleasure.

Yuri had become very good over the years at putting business before pleasure. It was how he kept himself on a leash. To keep himself from killing everyone in any given room.

When they finished Otabek took the seat next to Yuri. Guang Hong looked between them and blushed.

“Does Viktor know?”

“No. And if he does he will kill him.”

Yuri felt Otabek tense beside him. It was one of those unspoken things everyone understood. Yuri was young and Viktor would not let anyone take advantage of him. Not that Otabek was doing that, but there was too much danger in Yuri taking a permanent lover. Both of their enemies could come at them, and Viktor couldn’t allow that.

Yuri wondered if Otabek understood everything in full.

Before Yuri could think of that further Guang Hong pulled a map out of his pocket. “Where is the nail place. Unless they come to you or you’ll be riding with Viktor?”

Yuri snorted at him and Otabek took the time to explain. “The Russian’s don’t have family ride with each other.”

Guang Hong’s eyes widened. “Oh right. Your parents were killed in a car accident like mine.”

Yuri felt himself bristle. Not a lot of people talked about his parents. Most of them assumed it was a bad topic for him. It wasn’t. Yuri didn’t remember the accident or them for that matter. It had been other things in his life that had ruined him. It was just strange now to hear anyone mention it.

“No,” Yuri corrected anyways, “not like yours. What happened to you was a mistake, mine was an assassination.”

It wasn’t something many people knew. They didn’t call it an assassination because the target had survived. As horrible as it had been, it hadn’t been that big of a deal. Yakov had been young and strong enough to hold out until Yuri had been ready to step up.

Guang Hong hummed in agreement. “And that wasn’t the thing that ruined me,” Yuri added.

Any information broker in the underground knew that Guang Hong Ji was the son of two of China’s most famous ballroom dancers. They had been described as elegance on air, and Guang Hong had taken after them.

The accident had happened when Guang Hong was five, three first-place national junior championships under his belt. It had been during a storm two cars had spun out, and hit each other, one car didn’t take any damage. The head driver for the royal guard had found Guang Hong in the back seat unharmed and took him home with him. While Guang Hong was physically fine, he had lost his parent’s grace. Under his own two feet he was a blubbering mess, but once he was free of that he managed to reclaim his parents legacy. Or so they said.

Guang Hong picked at the fabric. “No. I wasn’t ruined that night. I loved them,” he lips curled into a sneer, “they ruined me when they tried to kill me, with my own car.”

“You heard something you weren’t supposed to hear,” Yuri guessed, it was the most common reason for drivers to be killed.

Guang Hong shook his head no. “If they hadn’t raised me I- then they would have tried a lot sooner.”

His hands shook and he tugged a cigarette out of his pocket. “Everyone knows that royalty isn’t on the side of the clean and innocent, but I was loyal to them,” he lit the cigarette and took a long drag.

Blowing out the smoke he crushed the cigarette and threw it onto the ashtray. “I did not love my parents. They were cruel people who loved their prodigy and hated their son. The royal doctors said I was half starved and half broken. There’s a certain body type you have to have to be a dancer and since a five-year-old isn't going to be lifting weights that meant my parents starved me, and beat me when I didn’t do as I was told. But the Royal Family never asked anything out of me, they told me I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do. They treated me well, gave me the things I wanted desperately. Safety and security.

I wanted to help them because of that. I was loyal beyond belief, and that’s why it worked for so long. The President’s brother started to make advances on me when I was fourteen. The consent laws are different in China and they are above the laws anyways. I didn’t really understand what it meant or what he was doing, but I let it happen. He was a man that practically raised me, kept me safe, let me grow with my passions. I was blindly loyal and he took advantage of that. By the time I was sixteen he had me at his beck and call, but I wasn’t comfortable with it anymore. I ask him to slow down, but soon I realized what I wanted didn’t matter to him.

I asked everyone for help, but they all turned a blind eye and ignored me. I tried everyone and nothing changed. And that broke me. The safety, security, and free will they promised me had been a lie. I had to choose one or the other and I’ve chosen my freedom. I never want to be safe or secure again, so if I fail, you better try to kill me.”

Yuri smiled flashing Guang Hong his sharpened deadly nails. “If I want you dead running won’t save you.”

Guang Hong made more sense now. Why he had defected and why he was agreeing to do this. Yuri leaned back and into Otabek’s chest with a laugh. “The only people who are willing to guard me are the crazy ones,” he purred, “and the crazy ones aren’t usually good enough to do the job. It’s the ones who have nothing left to lose that you’ve chosen. The people like us.”

Otabek said nothing, but Yuri knew he was right. He showed Guang Hong Viktor’s favorite nail place on the map and Guang Hong started to discuss the security details.

Yuri lazed working on his phone and making calls to his clients. Guang Hong stumbled out of the room at some point and Otabek got up to put music into the stereo while he cleaned his guns.

“Viktor’s security will be more than enough at the nail salon. Take Guang Hong around the city, have him buy clothes and the things he needs or likes with the card I already gave you.”

Otabek frowned. “I don’t want you or Guang Hong around Viktor or the Piggy more than you need to be,” Yuri added before Otabek could argue.

Otabek nodded. “Anything you want us to buy in particular,” he asked.

“No,” Yuri hummed, “I already have those things coming in while we are gone.”

Otabek chuckled. Yuri went to go get ready. When he came out of the shower Otabek had migrated into Yuri’s room. Yuri felt pleasure run against his skin. Otabek was sitting on the chair in front of Yuri’s computer typing something up. If it had been anyone else touching Yuri’s computer the encounter wouldn’t have ended well. But seeing Otabek being confident in Yuri’s space made him happy and made him feel like Otabek was apart of it.

Yuri tiptoed across the room to him not making a sound and Otabek didn’t look up from his work until Yuri came to a stop beside him. He reached behind the chair and took Yuri’s hand placing it on his shoulder. Yuri didn’t ask how Otabek had known he was there. The answer didn’t matter.

He leaned down and nipped Otabek’s neck as he kept typing. Otabek groaned. “Yura.”

He turned in the chair and pulled Yuri down into his lap keeping eye contact. Otabek traced Yuri’s lips with his finger. It surprised Yuri. Otabek hadn’t been forward like this before and he needed to see what Otabek wanted.

He parted his lips slightly taking a shuddering breath and Otabek gently slid a finger past his lips. Yuri let him, grazing the finger with his teeth before he sucked on it.

Otabek didn’t make a sound or move again, but his eyes got dark and lusty. Yuri was about to twirl his tongue around the digit when the door from Otabek’s room popped open.

“The car is-“

Yuri grabbed the first thing he could reach and whipped around hurling it at Guang Hong. He hit the ground hard and glass shattered behind him.

Otabek laughed as Yuri flopped against him limply groaning. “The car is ready,” Guang Hong tried again from his spot on the ground.

Yuri growled and Otabek ran a hand down his back. “Ready?”

Yuri sighed trudging across the room to get his purse and nodded to the pair. They closed ranks behind him and the trio left. At the nail salon, Yuri stayed in the car speaking to Guang Hong while Otabek went in to check the area.

Guang Hong’s eyes were sweeping the streets as they waited. Then the door popped open and Viktor swung in.

Yuri kicked Guang Hong’s seat. “You suck,” he hissed.

Viktor chuckled. “I didn’t realize your brother was a threat to you,” Guang Hong deadpanned.

“Come on Yurio you love having your nails done,” Viktor coaxed.

“Stop calling me that.”

Viktor tugged at his shirt. “Let’s go,” he demanded.

Yuri shook him off. No. Otabek had outlined very clear, very smart rules and the situations in which the rules changed. Yuri was not to leave the car until Otabek had decided it was safe. “I’m busy,” he lied tapping at his phone.

Viktor whined. The passenger door opened and Otabek slid in giving him a thumbs up. “We’ll be back in two hours,” Guang Hong declared shifting the car into drive.

The Russians slid out of the car and as soon as the door shut behind them the only thing was left was the smell of burnt asphalt. “Come on,” Viktor tugged him into the nail salon.

Katsuki was in the salon already. Yuri slammed the door shut. “What’s he doing here?”

“He’s my husband Yuri. We don’t want to be separated.”

Yuri trudged over to the seat furthest away from Katsuki and watched him. His brown eyes were watching the door and the worker at his hands at the same time. He looked peaceful and out of place. Like this activity was enjoyable, but wrong for him.

Viktor flounced around talking to them both, but they both had an eye and an ear on the door. Viktor who was born to be a husband, not the Pakhan who would have preferred his destined role and Katsuki who gave up everything to be the husband he was never supposed to be in order to be with Viktor.

Viktor started to prattle about the colors of the nail polish and how it was made. Katsuki and Yuri didn’t pay any attention. Such things were not something that they could hold an interest in. It was against how they were raised. Just like how Viktor got bored during meetings and forgot things too easily.

It hurt.

Yuri pointed to the leopard print design and stared at the wall. “What are your plans Yurio,” Katsuki asked.

“What plans,” Yuri huffed.

“The ones you are making now that you've returned to Russia,” Katsuki answered.

Yuri appreciated that Katsuki didn’t say, returned home. He glanced up at the ceiling feigning boredom. Did he want to tell them the truth? Not the whole truth obviously, but parts of it.

“I have a few modeling contracts that have been bugging me,” he announced.

Most of which were not in Russia and most of which he planned to ignore. Viktor hummed with excitement. Yuri answered his questions watching Katsuki watch him. Like the other Yuuri knew that he was hiding something. It made him feel sick.

By the time they finished with their nails Yuri had a headache and wanted a nap. He watched the car Guang Hong had chosen earlier pull up. It was a sleek fast model in a brilliant red. It had pulled a smile onto his face, happy that his new driver had style.

Otabek got out of the passenger side and leaned against the car waiting. Yuri felt relief hit him. He waved to his brother and bolted out the door.

Otabek had picked the correct timing and already had the back door open for him so he dived in. Otabek slid beside him as Guang Hong took off.

“Screw family,” Yuri snarled exhaustion thick in his voice.

Otabek and Guang Hong laughed. He buried his face into Otabek’s shoulder. “I want to leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll need to sleep soon then,” Guang Hong declared.

Yuri remembered their talk about plans for the journey yesterday and didn’t put up a fuss. “Whatever,” he grunted, “I need a nap too.”

They returned back to the house, ate, and disappeared for sleep. Well, Otabek went back to Yuri’s computer, but Yuri slept.

Yuri and Otabek were eating dinner together when Guang Hong came in riding a hoverboard. “This is to much power for one person.”

Otabek and Yuri laughed. “Come eat yourself into a food coma,” Yuri instructed, “then you can pass out until morning.”

Guang Hong zipped over and joined their meal. By the next afternoon they were halfway to Seoul, South Korea before Viktor had found him gone. “Yura where are you?”

Yuri smiled over at Otabek who was staring out the plane window. “Not sure,” he answered as Otabek caught his eye, “somewhere on my way to Seoul.”

“And you didn’t tell me, why,” Viktor demanded.

“I told you I was going to work on some modeling contracts.”

“Not in South Korea! Yuri the Kkangpae don’t like heirs. I don’t need you starting a war right now.”

“I’m here for a photo shoot, a party, and some press, it’ll be fine.”

Otabek rolled his eyes at him. “Liar,” he mouthed.

Yuri winked. “Yuri I want you to come home,” Viktor demanded.

“Can’t. I have to be on set soon.”

“Yura. Come. Home.”

“I’ll be back in Russia in three days.”

“Yura!”

Yuri hung up and laughed. “You’re going to turn his silver hair grey.”

He laughed harder and Potya jumped into his lap. Otabek smiled gently leaning forward and scratching her ears. When they checked into the villa Yuri  had rented in Seoul he set up all his personal security measures and went to bed to sleep off the jet lag. Otabek did not come to bed with him.


End file.
